As students finished exams and prepared to leave campus in mid-December, Dong Yub “Don” Song ’13 pled guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, a far cry from the felony sexual assault the State Attorney David Fenster original pursued. Song avoided jail time, paying $716 in total fines, including a $75 “victim’s restitution surcharge” among others.
After seven months and about a dozen court dates, Song was given his passport by the Middlebury Police Department and boarded a flight to his native South Korea.
“Finally done and heading home to Korea today and i am all well now. Sincerely wanted to say thank you everyone for having faith in me i couldn’t have done it without your unconditional love and support,” wrote Song in a Facebook post on Dec. 13. “May your glasses always be half full. ‘tough times don’t last but tough people do.’”
The Campus reached out to Song for additional comment, but he would not speak further on the matter. Similarly, Associate Dean for Judicial Affairs and Student Life Karen Guttentag would not comment on the matter.
The case garnered coverage after the original incident on May 13, 2013, and escalated in the fall when the District Attorney’s office aggressively pushed for a jury trial. The path of the case changed after jury draw had already began, with Judge Robert Mello accepting Song’s guilty plea to the misdemeanor on Dec. 11.
Song Avoids Trial, Jail Time
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