STORRS, Conn. (CBS/WFSB) — Connecticut State Police have arrested six University of Connecticut male students in connection to a student’s death in October 2016.
UConn student Jeffny Pally was killed on October 16, 2016 after the 19-year-old was hit by a university fire department vehicle while she was sitting on the ground outside of UConn’s fire station on North Eagleville Road. The fire truck was heading to a call before the crash.
The Connecticut State Police launched an investigation into the crash and received information that Pally was at an off-campus party prior to the incident.
Police issued arrest warrants for the six students involved with allowing minors to illegally possess alcohol and purchasing alcohol for the off-campus party. Police arrested the following people:
- Patrick Callahan, 21, of Mansfield, charged with permitting a minor to illegally possess alcohol
- Matthew Moll, 21, of Mansfield, charged with permitting a minor to illegally possess alcohol
- Austin Custodio, 21, of Pine Bush, NY, charged with sale/delivery to minors
- Dominci Godi, 21, of Bolton, charged with sale/delivery to minors
- Dylan Moose, 22, of Mansfield, charged with permitting a minor to illegally possess alcohol
- Jonathan Polansky, 22, of Beverly, Ma, charged with permitting a minor to illegally possess alcohol
All six men will appear in Rockville Superior Court on March 8. Police said no more arrests were expected in the case.
UConn said all but Godi were seniors.
The university could not discuss whether individual students face discipline cases, but released a statement on the investigation.
“Jeffny Pally was a talented, ambitious, promising young woman and her death was a terrible tragedy. The entire university community joins her family and friends in continuing to mourn her loss. The University appreciates the thoroughness of the Connecticut State Police investigation,” UConn said in a statement on Friday (Feb. 24).
An arrest warrant revealed Pally had been with her sorority sisters from Delta Gamma during the day.
They were working on a homecoming float and then, she met back up with them later that evening in a dorm where they were drinking before heading to a fraternity party in Manchester hosted by Kappa Sigma.
When police interviewed some of those arrested, they told investigators they did have a fraternity party, but said there was a bouncer hired to check identifications and give wristbands to make sure only those over 21 were drinking.
But, eyewitnesses told police “there were approximately 50 people there and nobody was wearing wrist bands.”
Another eyewitness said “nobody asked for identification.” All of the alcohol was provided by the Kappa Sigma house, according to the arrest warrant.
“There were six or seven guys handing out beers in the shed, and at some points there was nobody in the shed,” one eyewitness told police, according to the arrest warrant.
That same eyewitness said “after about an hour, the victim and [another girl] were leaning on [her] because they were intoxicated.” According to the arrest warrant, Pally’s blood alcohol level was 0.25 that’s more than three times the legal limit.
Eyewitnesses told police Pally left with friends in an Uber and was dropped off in front of her dorm. But, no one said they actually saw her go inside her dorm.
Kappa Sigma recently “lost its UConn recognition and housing based on off-campus incidents in September and October,” but it was “unrelated to Jeffny’s death.” The national office for Kappa Sigma “evoked the local group’s charter.”
To see pictures of the people arrested, click here.