An investigation into charges related to the Aberdeen Homecoming party has concluded with no criminal charges laid against Queen’s students.
While several Queen’s students have been charged with provincial offences—mostly liquor-related—none will be facing any of the 22 criminal charges related to the unsanctioned street party.
At present, the investigations conducted by Kingston Police into the events of Sept. 24 has closed, Insp. Brian Cookman told the Journal.
“It would appear right now that anything we can possibly do has come up empty, so for all intents and purposes, it has concluded,” Cookman said.
Cookman added that, should new information become available and the statute of limitations has not run out, new charges could be laid.
The Journal reported previously that 11 students faced provincial charges in connection with illegal keg parties held on the Saturday morning of Homecoming weekend. In addition, a total of 357 tickets were issued to party-goers, 284 of which were for open liquor.
Jeremy Opolsky, chief prosecutor of the AMS Judicial Committee (JComm), told the Journal that Campus Security provided JComm with a list of 29 names associated with provincial offences, including open liquor, illegal keg parties and noise violations.
JComm received the list of names just before the winter break. The prosecutor’s office is just beginning to process the cases and the students named have yet to be contacted by JComm, he said.
Opolsky added he hopes the cases will be resolved in the next few weeks.
Opolsky said the University administration is not directly involved in the non-academic disciplinary process.
“The administration is going through Campus Security, and this is their facet of dealing with it,” he said. “There were a variety [of provincial liquor charges] from open alcohol to the keg parties and everything in between.
“But it’s important to say that there were no criminal offences that were given to us.”
David Patterson, director of Campus Security, told the Journal the investigation carried out by his office consisted of reviewing public records. This information was then passed on to JComm.
While Campus Security has reviewed public record in previous situations, it is not a daily procedure, but was in part prompted by the events surrounding the unsanctioned Aberdeen Street party, Patterson said.
While no criminal charges were laid against Queen’s students, Joseph D. Arsenault, a 22-year-old student at RMC, pled guilty in court on Jan. 10 to mischief to property.
Arsenault was one of several people who initially overturned the stolen 1992 Ford Tempo on Aberdeen Street, and was charged by police after raising a cinder block and throwing it at the car.
Justice Rommel Masse placed Arsenault on probation for one year, fined him $500, and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service.
Bruce Griffith, the Crown attorney prosecuting the case, told the Journal the outcome is satisfactory.
“I think the public is [satisfied with the ruling] and the Crown is [as well],” he said “The judge, I believe, gave a fair sentence,” Capt. Todd Somerville of the Canadian Forces told the Journal he would not discuss specific information relating to Arsenault’s case, but said students at RMC must follow a specific Code of College Conduct that is independent of federal and provincial law.
“A Canadian Forces member could be charged in a criminal court and still face military charges [for the same offence],” he said.
Sanctions can range from losing privileges such as having permission to leave college grounds or wear civilian clothing, to a review of the cadet’s file, and even removal from the program, Somerville added.
Other students charged include Dalhousie University student Brent Von Hagen, 20, and Daniel A. Gomez-Duran, 21, a student at an undisclosed university in Ottawa.
Von Hagen allegedly attempted to set fire to the Ford Tempo and has been charged with mischief endangering life.
Gomez-Duran allegedly struck the hind quarters of a police horse, and has been charged with causing unnessessary pain to an animal.
Both were released on bail and barred from returning to the city except to appear before the courts or meet with their lawyers.
Griffith said his office didn’t currently have details regarding the other charges pending.
—With files from the Kingston Whig-Standard
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