A New Hampshire grand jury indicted Daniel Shedd '11 on Friday with four counts of aggravated sexual assault stemming from an incident at the College in October involving a non-Dartmouth student. Shedd, a Maine resident, is currently free on a $50,000 bond, according to an article on a Maine community news web site.
Shedd did not respond to a request for an interview before press time. His father, Jeffrey Shedd, declined to comment.
The accuser claimed Shedd sexually assaulted her on the night of Oct. 26, possibly in connection with a floor party allegedly involving underage drinking, as previously reported by The Dartmouth. The accuser was visiting Shedd at the time, his attorney, Andru Volinsky, told The Portland Press Herald.
"He has known the young woman for quite a while," Volinsky told The Herald. "The charge was both a shock and devastating to him and his family."
Shedd will challenge the charges against him in court, Volinsky told The Herald. Grafton County assistant district attorney Lara Safo could not be reached.
Dartmouth spokesman Roland Adams refused to comment on the case, citing College policy.
April Thompson, director of undergraduate judicial affairs, also could not comment on the specific case or disclose whether the College had taken any disciplinary actions of its own. She said, however, that similar incidents have occurred in the past, and the College follows the protocol outlined in the Student Handbook.
The College considers sexual assault a "conduct penalty," which can result in suspension or expulsion.
"The Committee further affirmed that serious acts of violence, including non-consensual intercourse or other forms of non-consensual intimate sexual contact, are sufficient grounds for the imposition of sanctions up to and including separation," the Handbook states.
Any College investigation will include an opportunity for the student involved to respond to the allegations, Thompson said.
Volinsky did not return requests for comment by press time.
