Serbian Athlete Urged To Return to U.S. To Face Charges
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BELGRADE, Serbia — American officials met the parents and lawyer of a Serb basketball player accused of severely beating a schoolmate to urge his return to America to face justice, the U.S. embassy said yesterday.
Miladin Kovacevic, who played at Binghamton University in upstate New York, is accused of repeatedly kicking fellow student Bryan Steinhauer, 22, in the head during a May 4 fight. Mr. Steinhauer remains in critical condition.
Mr. Kovacevic fled to his native Serbia in early June after he was freed on $100,000 bail. That touched off a diplomatic crisis between Serbia and American officials demanding his return.
“Representatives from the U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia met jointly with the parents of Miladin Kovacevic and their attorney on July 6th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Belgrade,” a U.S. Embassy statement said yesterday.
“The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the current situation regarding the flight of Miladin Kovacevic, who has been charged with assault in the State of New York and to answer questions from the family regarding the U.S. judicial process and the ramifications for Mr. Kovacevic of his flight from the U.S.,” the statement said.
