Police progress in fight investigation
By Josh Fillman, Staff Writer
Campus Police is continuing to investigate an altercation involving Dave Imbert '05 and Alex Fleiss '05 near the Converse Hall PVTA bus stop early on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 28.

Chief of Campus Police John Carter said that the investigation is progressing but has yet to be resolved. However, the police remain unsure of the identities of the individuals who sent Fleiss and Imbert to the hospital.

Carter is heading the investigation. "We are following up on several leads, interviewing potential witnesses and exchanging information with other police departments in the five-college consortium," said Carter. "The development of a comprehensive investigation takes time and has to be done in a deliberate manner."

Imbert commended the Campus Police and Carter on the job that has been done so far. "My compliments go the Campus Police and John Carter. From what I've seen, their police work has been very good," he said.

"As this is an ongoing investigation, all information concerning the matter is still very sensitive and releasing information that is too specific would compromise the investigation," said Carter.

Although he could not release any specifics, Carter remained optimistic about the outcome of the investigation. "The Campus Police remain confident that the names of the involved parties will be discovered," he said.

Carter stated that he had no proof that there was alcohol involved on the part of the victims or the individuals who committed the assault, but he indicated that it was a possibility. "The victims denied any use of alcohol, but they did say that they smelled it on their assailants," he said.

"I strongly believe that there are community members with direct knowledge that have not come forward," added Carter. He then urged anyone who has any knowledge about the attack or any of the parties involved to come forward.

Imbert indicated that he intends to file an affidavit with the Amherst Town Police Department as well, complaining about its officers' failure to act in a professional manner when they were called immediately after the incident. The Amherst Police Department declined to comment on allegations of indifference on the part of its officers.

Issue 06, Submitted 2003-10-08 16:09:50