There is no excuse for his actions; and, I hope he and the others have to pay for the damage.
But....I would like to interject some things about the mob mentality.
I was a plebe at West Point in 1988, and the week before the Navy game was pretty crazy. Some wings of the mess hall would erupt into enormous food fights (looked like a locust storm). My company was known for initiating a ‘Jock Strap Rally’, which consisted of running around at night in nothing but tennis shoes and the supporter (yes, I participated).
And one night, a mob formed outside (after we were supposed to be in our rooms), and flipped over a car. This was a junk car, which had been placed in the area, to show us what a DUI accident looked like...but it was still a car. I was outside that night, and I could feel the ‘mob mentality’ in the air....and I saw first hand how very normal people (most of whom went on to become officers) can do stupid things in a mob. I saw lesser versions of this for my remaining 3 years there.
So, this guy did act criminaly...and this riot was a little more ‘dangerous’ (I saw rocks and bottles being thrown)...and there is no excuse. But what would I do with him as far as ROTC is concerned? Maybe make him repeat a year of the program, and perhaps make him give instruction to others on the subject.
We had people get DUI’s at West Point, and some were allowed to repeat a year, and still get a commission...because nobody can be perfect all of the time.
That is completely different from rioting in a town, tipping cars that beling to private parties, and defying police. And what makes this even more difficult from the Army's perspective was the context. The fact is that the national perception is that, at a minimum, JoePa did not take proper action when informed of child molestation. So it appears that the students were rioting in support of a guy who did something wrong, and failed in a duty.
He put the Army in a pretty tough position -- cadet arrested for rioting in support of JoePa. Ouch.