Jeffrey Caplan
The six University of Connecticut students charged in the alcohol-related death of 19-year-old student Jeffny Pally will not spend time behind bars.
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According to the Hartford Courant, the six have received a special form of probation that will allow them to have their criminal records wiped clean, and avoid jail time, if they successfully complete the program.
The members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity were ordered by Rockville Superior Court Judge Carl E. Taylor to perform community service and to make a charitable donation during their two-year probation. The tragic incident started at an Oct. 15, 2016, party hosted by the fraternity, according to court documents.
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Pally attended the party and consumed alcohol. She became drunk and passed out leaning against the garage doors of the UConn fire station during the early morning hours of Oct. 16, 2016. When the fire department responded to a call, Pally was run over and killed by the firetruck. Police and prosecutors determined the firefighter could not see Pally, and he was not charged.
According to the Courant, Pally’s blood alcohol level was .25 at the time of her death, much higher than the .08 that Connecticut law deems legally drunk.
The six students each applied for a special form of probation called accelerated rehabilitation in April. At hearings, the six men and their lawyers laid out the reasons they deserved the program, which is designed for first-time, non-violent offenders a judge finds are unlikely to commit another crime.
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“I think it’s an appropriate resolution, although I think he never should have gotten arrested in the first place,” Manchester defense attorney Anthony Spinella said of his client, Jonathan Polansky, 22, of Beverly, Mass., who was charged with eight counts of permitting a minor to illegal possess alcohol. “In fact, I don’t think any of them should have gotten arrested.”
The five others charged include: Patrick Callahan, 21, Matthew Moll, 21, and Dylan Morose, 22, all of Mansfield, who were initially charged with eight counts of permitting a minor to illegally possess alcohol; Austin Custodio, 21, of Pine Bush, N.Y., who was charged with sale or delivery of alcohol to minors; and Dominic Godi, 21, of Bolton, who was charged with conspiracy to commit sale or delivery of alcohol to minor.
