More than a week of police investigations have resulted in the arrest of Monique Seguy '03, who is charged with the bizarre crime of removing a gravestone from the cemetery behind the Gold Coast residence halls on October 9 and keeping it in her room.
Seguy is currently out on bail after being arrested on October 20. She is scheduled for arraignment before a grand jury in the Lebanon District Court, Hanover Chief of Police Nick Giaccone said.
A state statute makes theft or possession of grave markers a Class B felony. If convicted, Seguy could face penalties of up to $2,000 in fines and seven years in a state prison, Giaccone said.
Since Seguy is being charged with a felony, the case will go before the grand jury which sits on November 19 and then again on December 17.
"Most likely, they will hear the case on December 17," Giaccone said.
At an arraignment in front of the grand jury, Hanover police will present their reports, and from there an indictment could be made. Lebanon District Court could not be reached for comment about the date of the arraignment or the how much bail was posted.
Seguy is accused of taking the gravestone after entering the cemetery for a class project on October 9, but could not be reached for comment last night.
Within a few hours of the illicit activity, Hanover Police and Safety and Security Officer David Hunt arrived at Seguy's dormitory room, although it is unclear how the missing stone was reported. The gravestone has since been returned to the cemetery.
According to a sophomore close to the source, the removed object consisted only of a section of a headstone and no digging was involved in its extrication.
"It was old and dirty and I think lying against another stone or a fence. [She acted] out of idle curiosity -- it was nothing malicious -- she was very curious and didn't think before she acted," she said.
While the source did not actually see the stone, "I think she knew it was a grave marker," she said.
The situation stems from a project for the Introduction to Classical Archaeology class within the Greek and Roman Studies department.
According to Margaret Cecere '01, the class studied architecture of the graveyard and worked with partners to deduce how socioeconomic aspects of the community influenced the way the society represents the deceased.
"We went by the epitaphs, the death dates, whether they were buried with family or separately, the material used for the gravestone, how they were spaced, and the size and ornament of the headstones," Cecere said.
Removing the contents of the graveyard for closer study, however, was not in the syllabus.
"It was a mistake. She didn't think before she acted, but it was not some sort of dark, morbid fascination. She knows she hurt people inadvertently, but she didn't act maliciously," the sophomore woman said.
According to the source, the student fully cooperated with authorities by being forthright and honest when she was approached.
"She is trying to atone for it and fess up for her mistakes by not lying," she said.
Still, Seguy denied any knowledge or involvement in the incident in a phone conversation with The Dartmouth before the arrest.
Seguy is currently enrolled at the College, but depending upon the court's ruling, the College could take action. Violation of any law is subject to disciplinary action of the College, First-Year Dean Gail Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman said the Dean's Office is handling this case as it would any student arrest. All cases are viewed individually and will be arbitrated under the code of conduct as determined by the circumstances, such as a subsequent conviction.
"Any student who is arrested on any charge of violation of local, state or federal law will be subject to disciplinary action under the College's code of conduct based on the resolution of that outcome," Zimmerman said.
Massachusetts Row Area Coordinator Janelle Ruley '00 said the incident was not in the Office of Residential Life's domain from the beginning, but Ruley expects the College to follow up with a conversation between Seguy and a first-year dean.
"ORL is not about discipline, but about education and building community," Ruley said. "We're not acting in a punishing role. We're trying to make sure she's okay."
