Providence fan who ran on court held in jail

PROVIDENCE—The brother of a Providence basketball player who ran onto the court to confront a referee was ordered held without bail Tuesday for allegedly violating his probation from a 2005 drug conviction.

Jonathan Xavier came down the stands and jumped over the Providence bench during a nationally televised game earlier this month to confront a referee. He was upset no foul was called after his brother, Providence guard Jeff Xavier, was hit in the face by a defender’s arm while he was driving to the basket.

Xavier, 24, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Providence District Court to a charge of disorderly conduct. A hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 10 for a judge to decide whether he also violated his probation in the incident.

A Superior Court magistrate referred Xavier to the public defender’s office, but he did not have a lawyer permanently assigned to him on Tuesday.

State prosecutors said Xavier pleaded no contest in 2005 to three drug charges. He received a six-year sentence but only had to serve eight months, with the remainder suspended.

If a judge finds he violated the terms of probation, which required him to stay out of trouble, he could have to serve some or all the remaining years behind bars.

“This case is not about Jeff Xavier, a young man who by all accounts is working hard and succeeding in the classroom and on the court,“ Attorney General Patrick Lynch said in a statement. “It’s about the dumb and dangerous decision of a person who happens to be his brother.“

The incident prompted Providence officials to say they would beef up security at games, posting uniformed police officers behind team benches at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.