Twelve Dartmouth students were arrested by the Hanover Police Wednesday night at the Old Dartmouth Cemetery for illegal possession of alcohol.
The 12 men were arrested shortly after 10 p.m. on Wednesday after a night watchman heard noises and notified Safety and Security, who called the Hanover Police, according to a press release from the Hanover Police Department.
Fifty-six bottles of Boones Farm and MD 20/20 wine were seized from the scene as evidence, the release states.
The police arrested Eben Darling '99, Gregory Dietrick '99, Will Flatley '99, Taylor Hamra '99, Jon Heaton '99, Edward Hughey '99, Dylan Karczewski '99, David Maher '99, Tom Reynolds '99, David Rosenwaks '99, Matt Shevlin '99 and Chris Sullivan '99.
Sullivan said there were 56 bottles of liquor at the scene because "there were more than 56 people there and [the police] only took the people that didn't run."
Midnight Patrol Sergeant Drew Keith was one of the three Hanover Police officers that arrived on the scene. Keith said there were at least 40 people, all appearing to be male, in the cemetery when the officers arrived.
Keith said most of the students ran once they recognized the officers as policemen, but the officers managed to "corral" 12 of them.
Another arrested student, speaking on the condition of anonymity, wrote in an e-mail message that none of the people who were arrested had been drinking, and "the people that were drinking ran away."
Keith said at least 25 people eluded arrest by running.
"I did not run from the police because I was sober and was not drinking," the student wrote. "I did not feel that I had done anything to merit an arrest."
Sullivan also said he did not run because he was sober and did not think he would be arrested since he had not been drinking.
The 12 who did not run away were taken to the police station, and all were proven sober, Sullivan said.
"They issued sobriety tests to some of us, and everyone passed," he said. He added that the police officers indicated they knew all 12 men were sober.
All 12 were released on personal recognizance bail, and an arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 23 in the Lebanon District Court.
Illegal possession is a violation which carries a minimum fine of $50 and a maximum of $1,000.
Keith said because none of the men had prior criminal records, they would be given the option of completing an alcohol diversion program rather than going to court. If they choose to participate in the alcohol diversion program, the offense will not become part of the students' permanent record, Keith said.
The cemetery, located behind the Massachusetts Row and Gold Coast residence clusters, was established in 1771 by College founder Eleazer Wheelock and is the final resting place of late College presidents, professors, students and local townspeople.
