No Jail Time for Trinity Students Who Went on Drug Binge
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A Superior Court judge asked two Trinity College seniors today why they had participated in a drug binge that left a classmate dead only months before graduation. ”Why does a young man with brains, with a future. . . .” Judge Howard Scheinblum asked, without completing the sentence. ”What in the world possessed you and your friends to make this drug cocktail mixed with alcohol?” ”It was a severe lack of judgment,” responded William Bachman, a student from Natick, Mass., who has been suspended and may not graduate. ”I wish with all my heart I could take it back.” Judge Scheinblum ordered Mr. Bachman to undergo treatment for drug and alcohol dependency, and ordered the other senior, Joshua Eaves of Downingtown, Pa., to undergo drug treatment. The judge also agreed to allow the two students to make charitable contributions in lieu of community service. The cases against the two students, who were charged with drug possession, were continued until they complete the programs. If they avoid trouble for a year, their records will be expunged. Mr. Eaves and Mr. Bachman, both 22, were among four roommates who were drinking and using drugs in their dormitory room on March 17. The authorities said the students had mixed prescription anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping pills and a migraine medication. One of the four, Joshua Doroff, 22, of Harrison, N.Y., died after friends took him to the Hartford Hospital emergency room. The fourth student, Clement Kaupp III of Mendham, N.J., was in critical condition for several days. Mr. Kaupp, 22, faces a drug possession charge. In Mr. Bachman’s case, the judge said he would grant the application for treatment because the student had no prior record, there was no evidence he had had anything to do with Mr. Doroff’s death and it would enable him to graduate. The judge also noted that the student had volunteered as a tutor. Source : query.nytimes.com |