Statue desecration investigation ongoing

Posted on Mar 19 2014 - 7:26am by Adam Ganucheau
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A flower rests on the foot of the James Meredith Statue during a gathering in Februrary. Photo: Thomas Graning, The Daily Mississippian.

Just over a month has passed since the Feb. 16 desecration of the James Meredith statue, and university officials say both the FBI investigation and the judicial process to determine university punishment for the three involved students are continuing.

“The judicial council has made no decisions on possible suspensions or expulsions (for the involved students),” University of Mississippi Communications Director Danny Blanton said.

“Obviously, we are approaching the situation with extreme care in order to be fair to all parties involved. ”

The three students, who are suspected of involvement and have been the subjects of a university conduct review since Feb. 21, have not been named publicly because of a federal privacy law.

Meanwhile, the FBI is still investigating the incident, according to Blanton. Officials said in February that possible charges range from vandalism to federal hate crimes.

The FBI did not return multiple phone calls early this week.

Blanton also said the $25,000 reward the Ole Miss Alumni Association offered soon after the incident has gone unclaimed.

“The people that came forward with the information declined to accept the reward money, so the alumni association was able to hold onto it,” Blanton said.

The Daily Mississippian will continue to provide updates on the situation as information becomes available.

— Adam Ganucheau

dmeditor@gmail.com