(JW asked that only his initials be used in this story, for fear that using his full name would complicate his future career prospects in the military.). For information about our guidelines, and access to the letter form, please Commentaries are voices from the community and do not represent VTDigger in any way. JW Sr. said he suspected public pressure made the difference. See pricing and listing details of Norwich real estate for sale. (Chase declined to discuss her work for this article. He enrolled at Arizona State and planned to try out for the wrestling team. Norwich physical education major and multisport athlete Callista Lemieux wins SHAPE Vermont award. But after returning home to Fremont, California, a suburb of San Jose, JW Sr. said he stopped hearing from almost everyone who had been involved in initial efforts to deliver some sort of justice: Schneider, Equal Opportunity Coordinator Stephanie Drew, Vice President of Students Frank Vanacek and Northfield Police Chief Bill Jennings. November 20, 2020 Football: Recognizing the Senior Class of the 2020 Season Nov 20 ), Chase wrote that the credibility of the football players “is diminished by ​the fact that they have motivation to be less than completely honest on behalf of their friend,” referring to Kinahan, adding that their stories “appeared to be rehearsed, as though there ​had been an advance discussion about what would be reported.”. However, that appears to contradict the university’s handling of the assault that occurred on campus this year. He can be reached at, VTDigger covers criminal justice issues including Vermont legal issues, Vermont courts and the Vermont Department of Corrections. “Over the past two seasons, there has been a noticeable increase in participation, exposure, and all-around success,” the article said. Norwich Tourism: Tripadvisor has 2,201 reviews of Norwich Hotels, Attractions, and Restaurants making it your best Norwich resource. Mail: P.O. He can be reached at, VTDigger publishes a wide range of stories about Vermont’s educational system from early childhood education issues to public and private K-12 schools to higher education. She can be reached at. “This is intimidating a witness and we will be reporting this to the Police,” JW Sr. said of Whitney’s visit in the letter to Schneider, which he provided to VTDigger. You ​can’t be a detective,” Whitney recalled saying. He isn’t sure he ever got the letter, and didn’t hold onto it if he did. Owen McKenna, a former Norwich football captain, is no longer facing criminal burglary and assault charges related to an on-campus incident in September that led to … “I understood that as he wanted me to act like I didn’t know the details of what happened and he wanted me to basically not name any of his wrestlers as being a part of it,” he said. Kinahan never stopped playing football during his senior year, according to team stats from the season, despite facing felony criminal charges. JW says he blames many people for what happened to him. “The issue,” he said, “is that Norwich continues to cover up behavior of athletes and allow them to play while other students and their families have their lives turned upside down.”. However, Whitney says the program has its priorities straight. “Eventually they made him do some letter of apology or something,” JW Jr. recalls. While laid up in an infirmary bed, he says, wrestling coach Alex Whitney paid him a visit — not to console him but to get him to change his story. Reardon had returned to the scene and, along with others at the party, helped convince JW to head home and figure it out later. I’ve taken punches to the face before.”, Two wrestlers who interacted with JW after the assault also said in interviews this month that the claim that JW’s injuries were caused by two punches was absurd. JW says his coach tried to convince him that his memory of events before and after the assault was unclear, and then accused him of threatening to get a gun and shoot the football players — a detail that did not appear to come up in other investigations of the night. We have reviews of the best places to see in Norwich. “Mere supposition or belief is not enough to establish a violation,” Chase wrote. You'll never miss a story with our daily headlines in your inbox. Derek Dunning, the university’s director of athletic communications, declined to speak about the situation. All commentaries must include the author’s first and last name, town of residence and a brief biography, including affiliations with political parties, lobbying or special interest groups. In Northfield, by comparison, the average household income is just north of $60,000. Sign up here to get a weekly email with all of VTDigger's reporting on courts and crime. She said she remembered hanging around his matches, loving the energy and deciding she needed to take the mat herself. “Kinahan told me W— began getting physical and angry at him,” Officer Christopher Hoar, who investigated the incident, wrote in the affidavit charging Kinahan, noting that Kinahan was 6 feet tall and 265 pounds, while JW was 5’10” and 174 pounds. Get the forecast for today, tonight & tomorrow's weather for Norwich, VT. Hi/Low, RealFeel®, precip, radar, & everything you need to be ready for the day, commute, and weekend! Norwich football Coach Mark Murnyack did not return a request for comment Tuesday. Things to Do in Norwich, Vermont: See Tripadvisor's 986 traveler reviews and photos of Norwich tourist attractions. Colin Meyn is VTDigger's managing editor. Whitney said in a phone call with a VTDigger reporter that he would have to check with the Norwich administration before answering questions about JW. “, Chase described in her report two narratives: one being told by three football players and their close friend, a rugby player, and another by JW and two other students who happened to be on the scene. He can be reached at, VTDigger publishes a wide range of stories about Vermont’s educational system from early childhood education issues to public and private K-12 schools to higher education. JW Jr. and JW Sr. both said they were frustrated to hear that Kinahan’s case was diverted. Tag: Norwich football . Colin Meyn is VTDigger's managing editor. click here. “I was like, I don’t really believe that,” Whitney said. “We have a young team, but all are what we consider to be the quintessential fit to Norwich,” Whitney said heading into last season, in an article on the Norwich athletics website. Norwich’s administration had tried to persuade JW and his father, JW Sr., to keep him at the school after the beating. She can be reached at, VTDigger publishes stories about Vermont environmental issues, including water quality, toxic waste, climate change and biodiversity. Whitney’s visit to the infirmary was the last straw for JW and his father. Hoar recommended charging Kinahan with aggravated assault and enabling consumption by minors, after he admitted to purchasing the jungle juice ingredients served at the party, according to the affidavit he filed in the case. He believes three or more football players were involved in the assault. McKenna, a 21-year-old senior from Attleboro, Massachusetts, was charged on Sept. 12 with felony burglary and simple assault, charges that potentially carry more than 20 years in prison. JW Sr. says he never heard back from Norwich on the result of that investigation. JW was anticipating more main card action, and better results, in his second year at Norwich. You'll never miss a story with our daily headlines in your inbox. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census. We reserve the right to reject opinions for matters of taste and accuracy. JW said he had initially hoped to enroll at the Air Force academy, but didn’t get in and learned of Norwich through online ads and an email recruiting him to apply. He flew east and drove to Norwich for a 50-minute meeting with university leaders and others involved in the investigation, gathering what information he could and pressing those assembled to find out more. One of the wrestlers who spoke on condition of anonymity said that he felt Whitney handled the situation responsibly. The Clerk is responsible for a variety of listing/assessing functions, as assigned by the Town Board of Listers. Another guy stepped in front of the doorway and prevented anyone else from going outside. He is a native of Maine and studied journalism at Northwestern University. Aggravated assault is defined under Vermont law as a “bodily injury that creates any of the following: (i) a substantial risk of death; (ii) a substantial loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ; (iii) a substantial impairment of health; or (iv) substantial disfigurement.”. “The state’s decision doesn’t remove the fact that Owen was involved and did enter our son’s room without consent,” the parents said in a written statement, asking that their names not be used to conceal their son’s identity. His eyes were bloodshot and badly swollen. The Northfield campus is small, safe, and community-oriented. $16.00. Time went by, but nothing seemed to be happening. His suspicion was reinforced by another student running around campus with a Confederate flag on his back the day after the incident, and then a text from a friend saying athletes were using racial epithets when referring to him after his departure. W hen Callista Lemieux was a girl growing up in Derry, New Hampshire, she often watched her older brother wrestle, something he’d done since he was 3. Kinahan’s mother said in a Facebook message in October that he would soon enter the Marines. wrussel1@norwich.edu. It may be criminal as you suggest also. JW wasn’t able to identify his attackers, and says he lost consciousness shortly after being jumped. Kinahan’s lawyer during the 2016 case, Jon Valsangiacomo, said details emerged during the legal process that caused the case to be “dismissed,” but that he didn’t recall specifics — and likely wouldn’t be able to speak about them anyway because proceedings become confidential when a case is diverted. JW only wrestled in one scoring collegiate bout his freshman year, falling to Spencer Kiehm of Harvard in the 174-pound weight class. All four of the alleged assailants were charged and eventually suspended from Norwich, but only after statewide media coverage of the incident. W hen Callista Lemieux was a girl growing up in Derry, New Hampshire, she often watched her older brother wrestle, something he’d done since he was 3. Please send your commentary to Cate Chant. Reardon said he tried to follow them. Jasper Craven covers politics for VTDigger. JW also wanted to salvage his Air Force ROTC scholarship and wrestling career, and worried that speaking out would make that harder to do. For one-time cadet, recent assault at Norwich University felt painfully familiar. Norwich University is located in Northfield, VT and the Football program competes in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) conference. When that finished, he took a job with DoorDash delivering takeout food to people’s houses. Two other witnesses who corroborated Kinahan’s account to investigators — Tyler Simmons, a football player, and Curtis Spalt, a rugby player — did not respond to requests for comment sent to their Facebook accounts. Back in California, JW Jr. decided to move on with his life, as angry as he was at his former coach, his assailants, university leaders and even his teammates, who he felt had abandoned him when he needed their help. The assault was reported to police on Aug. 28, 2016, the day after the party. After a year restricted to campus with other freshmen, he was happy to accept an invitation to attend an off-campus party that night at a house rented by a wrestling team captain and his friend. So it’s his responsibility to go down the chain of command and say ‘Hey, athletic director you need to talk to the football coach and have something done about this.’ It’s the football coach’s responsibility to say ‘Hey, you guys are getting drunk at parties beating up underclassmen, you can’t do that on my team.’”. VTDigger regularly publishes stories about Vermont politics. Norwich wouldn’t say whether Kinahan faced any internal punishment — or make any comment on the case. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! ​McDermott, if anything, would have allegiance to Riley,” she wrote in her report, using Kinahan’s nickname. ​I think that when you have drunk boys around, especially at a school like ours where there’s a lot of ​testosterone, things tend to lead to these places.”. McArthur blamed the Northfield Police Department for a shoddy investigation that led to serious charges filed against his client. When JW saw a news article in September about a group of football players who allegedly beat up three students in their dorm room at Norwich, he decided it was time to tell his story. He changed from a denim shirt and wide jeans to a fancier outfit: a white button-down shirt, white jeans and white shoes. JW got to his feet and demanded to know who had assaulted him. He texted back later referring all questions to Larkin and did not respond to a follow-up text asking specifically if he had tried to convince JW to change his story. Clerks at the court briefly allowed a reporter to view the files, before realizing they were supposed to remain private. Norwich, VT seeks applicants for a minimum 15-hours/week, part-time position of Administrative Clerk for the Board of Listers. “I don’t know what he said to other people but I do know he told us that wasn’t cool in terms of having a party and we were obviously supposed to be supporting our teammates,” he said. She said the other two witnesses, Christopher Reardon and John McDermott, who were near the scene after JW vomited, seemed more credible. “I don’t think that would have happened to a white person, for whatever reason they got into a fight,” he said in an interview last month. He eventually got an internship doing cybersecurity work for a tech company in California. JW still couldn’t get people who were at the party, including many fellow wrestlers, to tell him who had jumped him. Rory Thibault, the current Washington County state’s attorney, said the case was handled by his predecessor, Scott Williams, who resigned in early 2018 amid odd circumstances that Williams attributed to post-traumatic stress following the grisly murder of a social worker in 2015 he witnessed. Thibault said that in cases where violent offenses occurred, law enforcement authorities are under “immense pressure” to take swift action to prevent further violence or retaliation. McKenna, as evidence has shown, is not one of the principal actors in the overall incident and our focus remains on those other individuals at this time,” Thibault said in a phone interview Tuesday. He was later diagnosed with a concussion. JW Sr. said he asked Norwich administrators to offer amnesty from alcohol violations to students who could offer information about that night, but was denied. 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