On June 16, a grand jury indicted a Dartmouth alumnus for allegedly raping and strangling an 18-year-old woman in Theta Delta Chi fraternity on the night of April 23, 2022, according to court documents obtained by The Dartmouth. Kyle Clampitt ’20 faces 14 charges, which include 12 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault and two counts of second degree assault involving strangulation, the case summary shows.
Clampitt, who is 25 years old, must turn himself in to the Hanover police department “sometime this month [or] toward the beginning part of September,” Hanover Police Lieutenant Michael Schibuola said. Clampitt has received the indictment and “indicated … through his attorneys” that he plans on turning himself in, Schibuola added.
“By a grand jury, he has been indicted, and he is now required to turn himself in on these charges, where he will be arrested and processed at the Hanover police department,” Schibuloa said.
Clampitt has pleaded not guilty, according to an email statement from his lawyer, James Reis of Reis and O’Keefe Attorneys at Law in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
“Mr. Clampitt has pled not guilty to the charges and intends to mount a full and vigorous defense to these allegations,” Reis wrote. “The evidence in this case, when fully heard, will demonstrate that Mr. Clampitt is innocent of any wrongdoing.”
Grafton County attorney Marcie Hornick declined to give information beyond what is available in the public record.
The target date for the trial is March 12, 2024, according to the case summary provided by the Grafton Superior Court.
On July 14, the Grafton Superior Court filed a bail order, in which Clampitt agreed to be “released on an unsecured appearance bond” of $10,000. The document stipulates that Clampitt must have no contact with the alleged victim. It also limits him to travel inside Florida, New Hampshire and New Jersey “as necessary” and prevents him from entering Dartmouth’s campus “unless he is accompanied by his attorney and/or investigator.”
“The individual under indictment, an alumnus at the time the alleged actions took place, was issued a no trespass order in May 2022 which remains in effect,” College spokesperson Jana Barnello wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth. “We cannot comment further on an ongoing legal matter, but we appreciate the concerns and anxiety this situation may cause.”
On May 1, 2022, former TDX president Jack Barksdale ’23 sent out an email to an undisclosed list of Dartmouth community members, with a four-page letter titled “Preventing and responding to sexual violence at TDX” attached. According to Barksdale’s email, the letter is “a more formal statement that reflects the input of our whole house.” The email and letter were obtained by The Dartmouth.
“As most readers are aware, a serious criminal incident took place at TDX on the night of Saturday, April 23, 2022,” the letter stated. “Due to the expressed wishes of the victim and the criminal nature of the case, no member of TDX is at liberty to discuss any details regarding the event.”
The letter also named certain action items for “expanding safety mechanisms for guests” at TDX, which included suspending “formal social events at the house for at least three weeks” following the incident, locking all “out-of-sight” spaces in the house during events and closing the house to “all alumni, including former brothers,” when hosting open-to-campus events.
In addition, the letter stated that TDX will develop “a series of preventative measures to improve our internal culture” — adding that “it should come as no surprise to us that female guests often feel unsafe at our house.” The letter promised to require gender-based violence training for all new members following the rush process. It also stated that all succeeding presidents, risk chairs and safety and wellness chairs must receive Sexual Assault Peer Alliance training “as a a precondition for their assumption of office.” SAPA is an organization that provides “informed, empathic, and empowerment-based support to Dartmouth peers impacted by sexual and gender-based violence,” according to its website.
Barksdale and former TDX risk chair Mihir Sardesai ’23 — who were in leadership at the time of the alleged attack — both declined to comment. Current TDX president Hunter Binney ’24 declined a request for comment.
Clampitt played defense on the men’s lacrosse team and majored in anthropology at Dartmouth, according to the 2020 men’s lacrosse roster. He did not respond to request for comment by time of publication.
