Charges against William Scharf ’04, currently a Senior at Princeton University, were dropped on March 17 by the Princeton Municipal Court, and Scharf is counter-suing. Scharf had been charged with serving alcohol to minors and maintaining a nuisance at the Charter Club, one of Princeton’s eating clubs. Now that the charges against Scharf have been dropped, he will proceed with a lawsuit against the Princeton Borough Police, said Rocco C. Cipparone Jr., Scharf’s lawyer, in an interview with The Phillipian. Cipparone added that Scharf will be suing the police on grounds of false arrest, malicious prosecution and a violation of federal civil rights. According to a press release from his attorney, Scharf “submitted required notices to Princeton Borough and the Princeton Borough Police Department indicating that he intends to pursue civil claims,” prior to the dismissal of charges. The press release continued, “In light of the unsupported charges and their significant effects on [Scharf], Scharf’s intention to pursue those claims remains unaffected by the dismissal.” Scharf was the former president of Charter Club, one of Princeton’s ten eating clubs, and was prosecuted after allegedly serving alcohol to underage students on December 1 and December 10, 2007. On the 10th, he was also charged with maintaining a nuisance. Cipparone said that the case lacked evidence and the police knew from the beginning that there was no basis and no proof for the charges brought against Scharf. The Princeton Borough Police declined to comment for this article. Charges were brought against Scharf solely because he was the president of the eating club, continued Cipparone, but nonetheless, Cipparone still needed to negotiate with the court in order for charges to be dismissed. Said Borough Police Lt. David Dudeck in the Daily Princetonian, the decision to drop the charges was “out of his hands.” Dudeck said the decision to drop the charges was the prosecutor’s. In the press release, Scharf said, “I am relieved that the charges have been dismissed, but this entire matter has had an extremely deleterious emotional effect on me. I have never been accused of anything like this in the past, and the charges were totally unfounded. These charges were filed without a scintilla of evidence against me and without any regard to the effect the baseless charges could have, would have, and did have on me.” According to the press release, the police had a videotaped interview with one of the underage students who were allegedly served alcohol. The student said that the Charter Club checked IDs at the door and enforced a wristband rule in order to not serve underage students alcohol. The student said that she received the alcohol from another student at the party who was of proper age to drink. In the press release, Cipparone said that the police department has made a pattern of consistently blaming the presidents of eating clubs and then dismissing charges once the eating club itself takes responsibility. According to the Daily Princetonian, the borough has charged five eating club presidents with similar violations since 2006, and all charges were either dropped or transferred to the club itself.
