James Gerhart '98 and Jeff Link '98 had arraignments scheduled for Feb. 27. Gerhart went to his arraignment and his charges which included stealing and fleeing custody were dropped, but Link did not attend his arraignment to address charges of vandalism.
Link, who was charged with vandalism for writing racist slurs on the door of two Asian men in the Choates residence cluster earlier this term, did not go to his arraignment Wednesday at the Hanover Town Court.
"I misunderstood my time," Link said. "I thought it was supposed to be" another day.
Link attributed his confusion to what he called an illegible carbon copy on which his court date had been printed. He said he has since tried to contact the clerk of the court's office.
"I am still waiting to hear from them," he said yesterday. "I have left several long, detailed messages on voice mail."
The alternate date for his arraignment has not yet been determined, but when he does appear before the judge, Link said he will be representing himself.
"I really don't have a lawyer," he said.
The College has already taken punitive measures in the case, he said, and added, "I'd rather not say anything" about the specifics.
James Gerhart '98 was also arraigned Wednesday at the Hanover Town Court.
"All major charges against me were dropped," he said. "I just had to pay a small fine."
Gerhart fled from the back seat of a Hanover Police cruiser just past midnight on Jan. 21 after Hanover Police Officer John Kapusta had arrested him for bike theft.
He turned himself in to the authorities two days later and was charged with escape, resisting arrest, possession of stolen property, providing false information to a police officer and theft.
"We don't have a hardened criminal here," Hanover Police Detective Sergeant Frank Moran said. "We just have someone who made a stupid decision one time."
Several other campus crimes, committed earlier this year, are still under investigation.
The person or people responsible for the numerous thefts of computers and other electronic items in Hanover over winter break have still not been identified.
Moran said while no new evidence has turned up, the case is still active. He noted that the investigators had sent fingerprints to a laboratory to be tested.
"At this point, we don't have a whole lot to go on. There were no witnesses that we know of," he said.
"There is a good possibility it was the same individual or the same group" who committed the thefts since several cases appeared to be connected, he added.
He also said the investigations of the attacks on students near the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts are still underway. Sea'mus Morrissey, 18, of White River Junction, Vt., was arrested in connection with the attacks on Dec. 7..
The assailant of a Hanover woman on Hilton Field Lane near Occom Pond has also not yet been found.
An unidentified white male accosted the woman and attempted to rob her at about 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 26.
After inflicting several head lacerations, he fled the scene and was seen running in the direction of the Hanover Golf Course.
"It's still an active case," Moran said. "We're very interested in any information the public might have."
He said the investigation's lack of success is largely because the victim was the only witness.
