On Saturdaymorning, a University student was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, according to a press release from the Princeton Police Department. He was then transported to police headquarters, where he was processed and charged.
According the press release, PPD received a tip that this student might be in possession of a shotgun. A follow-up investigation revealed the accused student, 22-year-old Samuel Smiddy ’17, possessed a shotgun while in residence at Cloister Inn, where he is the president. Further investigation revealed Smiddy “did not meet the legal requirements to to possess such a weapon,” according to the press release.
According to Princeton Police Department spokesperson Lt. Jon Bucchere, the shotgun was not loaded when it was recovered. However, officers at the scene did find a small load of ammunition in Smiddy's room.
The student was later released and has a pending court date, the press release noted.
Though Bucchere could not comment on the circumstances surrounding Smiddy's release, he noted that this is a decision rendered by the court, and that one requirement for release is that the individual does not pose any clear and imminent danger to others.
Because the student is a resident of Cloister Inn and does not reside in University housing, the investigation noted that the student never possessed the weapon on campus.
Bucchere could not comment on the source of the firearm but stated that the weapon did not have the proper credentials. He also could not comment on why Smiddy had a firearm at the time.
As to whether his arrest will affect Smiddy’s enrollment status at the University, Assistant Vice President of Communications Daniel Day wrote in an email to The Daily Princetonian that the University does not comment on cases involving individual students.
Day also wrote that the University has no record in recent years “of a similar case involved an operable firearm of this nature.”
Smiddy did not respond to request for comment at the time of publication.
On Oct. 14, a man from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was arrested onVandeventerAvenue for illegally carrying a firearm. It was subsequently determined that his weapon was illegally obtained. Bucchere noted that this incident is not related to the arreston Saturday.
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