12.17.2003
Charges Against UMass Boston Professor Dropped
I'm told that the charges that were brought against a UMass Boston Africana Studies professor have been dropped by the district attorney's office.
A trial had been set for late November, and then was post-poned for a later date.
Public pressure for the charges to be dropped has been mounting since the incident first occurred last April, generating headlines in The Mass Media and an article in the Boston Globe.
A website run by supporters of the professor appears to confirm this.
No word yet on the reason for the charges being dropped.
UPDATE: Boston Phoenix has the scoop: "David Procopio, the spokesperson for Suffolk County DA Dan Conley, confirmed the details of the agreement for the Phoenix. On Wednesday morning, according to Procopio, the Dorchester Court judge formally accepted the two-month probationary period. Barring any new arrests of Van Der Meer, the charges against him will be officially dismissed in February. On the flip side, of course, is the fact that if the professor is arrested for any reason during this two-month probation, Procopio says, 'the charges remain intact and the case gets put back on track for trial.'"
It's a follow-up to the article they did in July, called "Climate of Fear."
A trial had been set for late November, and then was post-poned for a later date.
Public pressure for the charges to be dropped has been mounting since the incident first occurred last April, generating headlines in The Mass Media and an article in the Boston Globe.
A website run by supporters of the professor appears to confirm this.
No word yet on the reason for the charges being dropped.
UPDATE: Boston Phoenix has the scoop: "David Procopio, the spokesperson for Suffolk County DA Dan Conley, confirmed the details of the agreement for the Phoenix. On Wednesday morning, according to Procopio, the Dorchester Court judge formally accepted the two-month probationary period. Barring any new arrests of Van Der Meer, the charges against him will be officially dismissed in February. On the flip side, of course, is the fact that if the professor is arrested for any reason during this two-month probation, Procopio says, 'the charges remain intact and the case gets put back on track for trial.'"
It's a follow-up to the article they did in July, called "Climate of Fear."
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