A 22-year-old Cheyenne man with four national speech championship wins to his name was arrested Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa, on claims he caused a “disturbance” at the National Speech and Debate tournament that cleared the event venue.
Jayden Roccaforte, who attended Cheyenne East High School and Casper College, is being held at the Polk County Jail in Iowa. The Des Moines Police Department on Thursday said he faces one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and two counts of drug possession, a “serious misdemeanor."
Shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday, a male entered the stage area during a tournament event, and “his behavior prompted safety concerns and the immediate area was evacuated,” says an earlier police statement distributed Thursday before Roccaforte’s name was released.
Officers working the event took him into custody, and no weapons were seen or recovered in the incident, the statement adds.
The man mounted the stage during the event, “was acting a little weird, (and) said, ‘You all want to hear a joke?’ — in a strange voice,” one witness, who was not identified by name, told KCCI of Des Moines.
“He said, ‘You should probably leave,’” the witness continued.
An event contestant asked, “Run?” And everyone started running, said the witness.
The incident happened during the humorous interpretation portion of the competition, according to a Thursday night statement by the National Speech & Debate Association, which represents middle school and high school level competition.
The organization said no weapons were involved, but the incident “scared students and other attendees present.”
The competition was suspended Thursday, but was set to resume Friday with a revised schedule.
Not Ours
Some news outlets report that Roccaforte coached his old high school team at some point after graduating.
But he wasn’t involved with it Thursday, Mary Quast, community relations director for Laramie County School District No. 1, told Cowboy State Daily.
Quast said Roccaforte was not at the event in connection with the East Cheyenne team, nor is affiliated with the school as either an employee or volunteer.
Casper College Editor and News Coordinator Lisa Icenogle issued a similar statement, saying Roccaforte no longer attends the central-Wyoming school and wasn’t at the event in connection with it.
Casper College’s speech and debate team attended its collegiate-level championship in April, noted Icenogle.
Western Kentucky University’s communications team did not immediately respond to a voicemail request for comment.
On Paper
As far as Wyoming state-level criminal charges go, Roccaforte has almost no criminal history. His state court file shows just one speeding ticket from 2021.
Roccaforte is a four-time national and one-time international forensics champion, according to an Aug. 24, 2024, blog post by One Clap Speech and Debate.
He took a year off from school to focus on mental health and volunteer coaching for his high school team, but as of the 2024 post, planned to return to speech competition with the Western Kentucky University forensics team while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in art education, says the blog.
A family member of Roccaforte’s reached Friday by Cowboy State Daily declined to comment.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
