A fight over guacamole smeared on a Lexus SUV led to the arrest of the 23-year-old son of University of North Texas Athletics Director Rick Villarreal on an assault charge.

Justin Dale Villarreal

Jason Dugas

Justin Dale Villarreal and another man, Jason Ross Dugas, 23, remain in Denton County jails after an altercation at a fast-food restaurant in the early-morning hours Tuesday.

Villarreal, a junior arts and sciences major at UNT, was arrested about 3 a.m. after a fight in the parking lot of the Taco Cabana restaurant in the 1300 block of Interstate 35E in Denton. He was being held in lieu of $15,000 bail in the Denton City Jail late Tuesday.

Dugas, a senior business administration major at UNT, was in Denton County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail late Tuesday afternoon on a charge of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony. A conviction of aggravated assault carries a penalty of two to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

John Thomas Cline, 21, was taken by medical helicopter to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with injuries considered life-threatening by police at the time. His condition had improved to serious but stable Tuesday afternoon.

Detective Sgt. Jim Brett said Cline and UNT student Jose Arellano pulled into a parking space in the restaurant parking lot and started to get out of their vehicle. Villarreal and Dugas were in the parking lot.

“Someone had put guacamole on Villarreal’s Lexus SUV, and he thought it was Cline,” Brett said. “He [Cline] tried to explain that he had just gotten there.”

Brett said witnesses reported that Dugas “head-butted” Cline several times and then picked him up and dropped him on his head on the concrete. Then he punched him several times.

Witnesses said Villarreal kicked Arellano in the head. The senior radio, television and film major at UNT was disoriented but did not suffer serious injuries, Brett said.

Arellano told WFAA-Channel 8 that he and Cline were attacked for no reason.

“It’s so stupid anyways,” Arellano said. “How could we have guacamole on our hands when we haven't been in the restaurant? That's just ignorance on their part. Maybe they should have been home a lot sooner.”

Villarreal was detained by police at the scene for outstanding traffic warrants and later charged with the Class A misdemeanor. If convicted, Villarreal could face up to a year in jail and up to a $4,000 fine.

Rick Villarreal said his son is a 23-year-old adult who makes his own decisions.

“But he is still my son,” he said.

Villarreal said he would still continue with the duties of his job.

“I am not going to take any time away,” he said.

He said he understands that his position at the university, which is always in the spotlight, makes him and his family public figures.

“In my position, this becomes a story instead of a side note,” Villarreal said.

UNT President Gretchen Bataille said that the event was a terrible tragedy for all of the individuals and families involved.

“Rick is coping like we all do as parents,” Bataille said. “I will work with him to help him deal with the family situation and his responsibilities here.”

Villarreal wants to be involved in the day-to-day activities of the athletics department, she said.

“He will deal with it,” she said.

Deborah Leliaert, a UNT spokeswoman, said the Center for Student Rights and Responsibility is already looking into the incident involving the students, but she could not comment on the specifics of the case.

“Violations of the student code of conduct are handled without regard to a student’s relationship to a staff or faculty member,” she said. “The general process is to investigate the facts and take appropriate steps.”

The university could take a wide range of action, including no action, probation, interim suspension, or expulsion, she said.

Staff writer Matthew Zabel and WFAA reporter Debbie Denmon contributed to this report.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.