Students Appear in Public Court Hearing After Arrests

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Joseph Tucci, Managing Editor

Pace students Joseph Musso and James McDermott appeared at a public court hearing at the Pleasantville Village Hall on the afternoon of Oct. 18.

Musso, 19, had his license suspended and was assigned council after being charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI), the possession of marijuana, a turning violation, a lane violation, speeding 50 miles per hour (mph) in 30 mph zone, as well as violating other miscellaneous traffic regulations.

Musso was stopped on the Saw Mill River Parkway in Pleasantville at around 12:22 A.M. on Sept. 10 by Pleasantville Police Department Sergeant Samuel Caccamise. He had failed to drive on a designated lane on the Saw Mill and had made an improper U-Turn and drove 50 mph on Bedford Road, which has a 30 mph speed limit according to the police report.

Musso had an open container of alcohol in his car along with two baggies containing marijuana in a sock located on the rear floor of his vehicle, according to the police report.

A chemical analysis of Musso’s breath in the Police headquarters showed that he had a .10 of one percent by weight of alcohol on 1:04 A.M. according to the supporting deposition of Caccamise.

Musso will return to court on Nov. 15 for prosecution.

McDermott, 20, was arrested for disorderly conduct on Sept. 25 at 3:16 A.M. on Bedford Rd after being observed walking in the roadway which impeded the flow of vehicle traffic and shouting according to a report by the Mount Pleasant Police Department.

These charges come after McDermott’s third-degree assault charge reached an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal on Sept. 15, where one of the conditions for his charges being dropped was to not be arrested again before March 2017.

McDermott was marked off the Pleasantville Court Clerk’s calendar. His case will be taken to a separate court, and his attorney will report back to the Pleasantville Court Clerk when a decision is reached.

According to Pace’s student code of conduct, a student whose conduct is deemed a threat to personal safety, property, or the university may be suspended. If a student continues to violate university policy after receiving a warning by officials, they may reach a summary suspension where they can be ejected from campus.

If a student is arrested off campus, the President –or the Provost or another university official in their stead- can suspend them after consultation with faculty and student representatives.

Musso and McDermott both declined to comment.