A district court judge cleared the name of former Students’ Association President Daniel Paul Watkins last month, ending a six-month legal battle in Virginia.
Watkins, a 2009 graduate and law student at University of Virginia, left the Albemarle County Courthouse a free man after the presiding judge dropped Watkins’ charges of stalking and assault. Watkins declined to comment for this story, citing legal advice.
The former SA executive president was the subject of local and national news reports in September 2008. Watkins, an African-American, reported finding a noose in his chair in the SA offices. ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison said his investigation was inconclusive, and the department made no arrests In March 2009, Watkins was impeached in a 25-5 vote from the SA Congress, citing irresponsible leadership, manipulation, disrespect and unethical behavior. Watkins’ impeachment charges were unrelated to the noose incident, SA representatives said.
“The events brought an unfortunate and negative light to the university,” Ellison said. “But students responded very well and communicated that it did not reflect ACU as an institution.”
Ellison said he remembers Watkins as a nice student who had a good relationship with the department. Ellison said he had not heard from the former student until news of Watkins’ stalking and assault charges surfaced online.
“In some ways the Internet and 24-hour news really have an impact on the public,” Ellison said. “The fact that he was totally vindicated is just another example of never assuming until the facts are heard.”
The third-year law student was arrested in May and charged with one count of stalking and one count of assault of an ex-girlfriend, a fellow classmate at UVA. She reported that he had threatened and assaulted her in February, according to media reports.
Ellison said it is common for the public to rush to judgments on cases that receive such state and national attention.
“Initial charges are just that,” Ellison said. “Often all the facts do not come out until the trial. It’s wise to remain objective until they do.”
Judge William Barkley found the testimony of Watkins’ ex-girlfriend insufficient to convict Watkins, according to news reports. The judge granted Watkins a defense motion to drop the charges after the ex-girlfriend admitted to not believing Watkins’ alleged threats administered in February.
“That’s our court system, you’re innocent until proven guilty,” Ellison said.
Connor Best, current SA executive president and an SA representative in 2008-09, said the impeachment process was challenging, but SA ultimately believed they had made the right decision.
“It was very unfortunate but he was a really talented, smart and charismatic guy,” Best said. “He worked really hard at getting people into SA.”
Best, senior political science major from Sacramento, Calif., said the controversy surrounding the impeachment had no lingering effects, and SA harbors no negative feelings towards Watkins.
“I was saddened to hear about the charges but I’m happy to hear they were dropped,” Best said. “He has a really bright future, and I hope the best for him.”
