SECOND WEB UPDATE, June 9, 6:00 p.m.
A sexually explicit videotape created by an Alpha Delta fraternity member from the Class of 2003 was the premise behind a Thursday morning police search of the organization's physical plant, according to several sources close to Alpha Delta fraternity and other persons in the Dartmouth Greek system.
Fourteen police officers from the Hanover Police Department entered AD at 10:45 a.m. on Thursday and searched the organization's physical plant for over five hours. The fraternity had received no prior notification of the search and at least one member of Safety and Security was on hand throughout the search, according to Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone.
Giaccone would neither confirm nor deny whether the warrant involved a sexually related tape because the warrant and court affidavit have been sealed for the duration of the investigation.
The warrant was obtained as part of an investigation that was launched in October of 2004.
"They were looking for a piece of evidence, they didn't find that evidence, I am convinced they didn't find that evidence because that evidence never existed," said John Engelman '68, the fraternity's alumni advisor and president of the fraternity's alumni corporation.
Engelman would not say whether the police were looking for a videotape.
"I don't know what the charge against individuals in AD might be if they found this tape," Engelman said. He said he does not think there will be any charges against the organization or its members based on the allegations contained in the search warrant.
Engelman added that College administrators, including President James Wright, are being supportive of the fraternity.
"I know the brothers are a little bit bitter and understandably so because this is not a situation that is of their making," Engelman said.
Engelman said that the current president of the fraternity, John Rosen '07, knew that a police officer was coming to talk to him about another situation, which Engelman said the police "concocted for gaining access to the house."
Rosen would not comment, except to say that he did not think that any articles on the situation "would be appropriate at this occasion" - days before commencement.
The attorney representing AD, George Ostler '77 of Norwich, Vt.-based DesMeules, Olmstead & Ostler, said there is no way to confirm what the police were looking for until documents related to the search are unsealed in the next week.
"The police have a monopoly on the information," Ostler said.
The search warrant was "extremely broad," Ostler said. "It allowed them to essentially search the whole house."
The Hanover Police said that the warrant was not issued for a drug-related search. However, the department released a statement detailing that in an ancillary arrest, Darnell Nance '06 was charged for possession of a controlled substance, presumed to be marijuana.
The Associated Press reported an additional student was arrested, though Hanover Police did not confirm this in any public statement.
Police officers could be seen removing 10 boxes and two large bags of evidence from the fraternity on Thursday, along with two sledgehammers, a videotape and a computer.
Giaccone told The Dartmouth that the sledgehammers were in fact property of the Hanover Police Department, brought in to aid the search. He also noted that the large number of officers on hand was due to the magnitude of the search.
Hanover Police said the department expects to arrest more individuals as the investigation continues.
College Vice President of Public Affairs William Walker issued a statement that read, "We are cooperating with the police investigation, within the context of our responsibilities to our students and organizations under college policy and federal law."
