A U.S. Attorney's office, acting on behalf of the Secret Service, notified AU it was issuing arrest warrants against six students involved in the protest against White House aide Karl Rove that occurred in April, according to Sara Waldron, associate dean of students.
Dean of Students Faith Leonard notified the six students on Friday about the arrest warrants so they would not be surprised when authorities served the warrants, Waldron said.
The university received a subpoena in April, shortly after the protest occurred, requesting information about students involved in the incident. The university complied with the subpoena, but had no additional contact with authorities regarding the incident until they received word about the warrants, Waldron said.
Although The Eagle has learned the names of the six students involved in the case, it has decided not to print the names at this time due to the ongoing nature of the case.
As of press time Wednesday evening, the students had not been served with the warrants and do not know what specific charges they face. However, all six students have collectively retained a lawyer based on the information they received from the university.
Mark Goldstone, the students' lawyer, said he did not have much information to release because it is so early in the process.
"I've been told there are warrants for their arrest," he said.
All six students participated in a protest following Rove's speech to the AU chapter of the College Republicans April 3. Inside of Ward Circle Building, a group of protesters attempted to make a citizen's arrest of Rove over alleged violations of the Presidential Records Act of 1978. Outside of the building, protesters gathered prior to the conclusion of Rove's speech and his exit, The Eagle previously reported.
Once Rove exited the building and got into his car, 16 protesters attempted to block the car and a second vehicle from leaving campus by lying on the blacktop in front of the vehicles. Public Safety officers and Secret Service agents pulled the protesters from in front of the vehicles. Three or four students filed complaints about the treatment they received from the Secret Service during the incident, which lasted approximately five minutes, The Eagle previously reported.
While multiple students involved in the protest were later punished through Judicial Affairs and Mediation Services, none of the six students currently facing prosecution will receive further punishment from the university, Waldron said.
Rick Edwards, director of the Student Advocacy Center, declined to comment about the issue, citing concerns for student privacy in ongoing and completed cases.
The six students contacted members of the Community Action and Social Justice Coalition after they found out about the arrest warrants. CASJ organized an effort to help the students and helped secure Goldstone as the students' attorney, said Laura Taylor, a co-facilitator for CASJ and a junior in the School of International Service.
Taylor said she hoped the students involved would not publicly discuss their situation.
"I'm hoping, for these students' protection, that they will not talk about this situation with the press at this time," she said.
The Eagle contacted two of the students for comment. Both declined to comment but referred The Eagle to Goldstone for further information. A third student contacted by The Eagle did not return calls for comment.
Will Haun, president of AU's chapter of the College Republicans, also declined to comment.
Eagle Staff Writer Carolyn Phenicie contributed to this report.
