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Brandeis University's Community Newspaper — Waltham, Mass.

Inconsistencies in December hit and run

Courts have no record of police citation

Published: January 28, 2011
Section: Front Page, Top Stories


Accident: BEMCo transports a student to the hospital following the Dec. 3 hit and run that occurred on Brandeis’ Loop Road.
PHOTO COURTESY Peter Lobo/The News Tribute (Waltham)

Despite a citation issued by the Waltham Police for the criminal charges against a Brandeis student following a hit and run last month, the Waltham District Court has no record of the individual’s name in its system, an official in the clerk’s office said.

Waltham Police charged a Brandeis student on Dec. 8, 2010 with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, negligent driving, failure to slow for pedestrians and speeding. These charges followed a car accident on Loop Road on Dec. 3 that sent two female students to local hospitals—Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The two students are no longer being treated at the hospitals.

Waltham Police issued a citation for the charges against a 19-year-old Boylston resident, but declined to release the name or the police report because the individual was only charged and has not been arrested, Sgt. Timothy King said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

An assistant at the Waltham District Court Clerk’s Office said that there was no record of the individual’s name on file, and that police were likely still researching it.

But King said that a citation has been issued for the 19-year-old Boylston resident and should be on file at the clerk’s office. Because of the holidays last month and the length of the investigation, King said it may take longer for the courts and police to share the report and citation.

Last week, Waltham Police Lt. Joseph Brooks declined to comment on the case because, since it was a “pending criminal matter,” it was an “exception [to the] public records law.”

Callahan declined to comment on any action the university had taken against the student.

On Dec. 3, university police officers found the individual’s car parked behind East Residence Quad from a description provided by student witnesses. The officers contacted the driver and spoke with him that evening; however, he was not immediately charged.

University police initially contacted the Waltham Police Department because of the personal injuries, according to Callahan. The two departments originally conducted a joint investigation but, after the criminal charges were pressed against the student, Waltham Police assumed control of the investigation.