Students arrested Sunday at Lawnparties

Editor's Note:

On Nov. 23, 2009, court officials dropped all charges against Adamson after determining her actions did not constitute a violation of law.

Borough Police officers arrested Kathlyn Adamson ’11 for underage possession of alcohol and for violating the open container law.

Adamson, 20, was arrested by Sgt. Robert Currier, who at the time was on foot patrol, according to an article in The Times of Trenton.

Adamson declined to comment, referring all questions to her attorney, G. Robert Wills.

“It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and Princeton students were enjoying Lawnparties,” Wills said. “There was a strong police presence … and no reason a police presence shouldn’t be there. My client would agree with that.”

Wills added that his client’s enjoyment of the afternoon was interrupted after she allegedly walked across the street with an open container of beer, but he would not comment on whether or not the allegation had any truth.

Benjamin Mautner ’11 was arrested later that afternoon after he threw a cup of beer at a Cottage Club security guard. Three officers witnessed the assault and attempted to aid the security guard by handcuffing the 21-year-old Mautner, who resisted and was then arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

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Mautner did not respond to requests for comment.

“Every year when the Lawnparties occur, there usually are some sort of problems regarding alcohol,” Borough Police Lt. Dave Dudeck told the Times. “We had additional manpower on that day, in that area, in order to deal with some problems that may arise.”

Dudeck did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article.

A third student, Emily Hildner ’10, was issued a special complaint summons for disorderly conduct after she was not allowed to enter Cottage that evening at about 7:30 p.m. According to the Times, after Hildner was prevented from entering the club because of her level of intoxication, she refused to leave the grounds and tried to climb the club’s fences. She was then approached by police officers and only showed them her ID after trying to run away and being threatened with arrest. Hildner, 21, used obscene language with officers and became hysterical, leading Patrolman Leonard Thomas to call an ambulance so she could receive medical attention. At the University Medical Center at Princeton, Hildner also resisted assistance from the nurses and medical staff.

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Hildner did not respond to a request for comment.

As an attorney who frequently represents University students in alcohol-related cases, Wills said he didn’t agree with the state alcohol laws.

“Requiring people to be 21 is an absurdity,” he said. “That’s my personal opinion, but it has a lot to do with representing Princeton students in situations like this.”