Student Freed of Criminal Charges

Editor's Note: As of 2009, both felony charges against Siebach were dismissed in court.

The case against Steven R. Duque ’08-’09—a Quincy House resident who ran naked through his dorm’s halls while admittedly under the influence of LSD last February—has been dismissed, as long as he steers clear of legal trouble for a year.

Duque had been charged with two counts of assault and battery of a police officer, possession of marijuana, and possession of a fake ID. But last month, he was placed on pretrial probation, sparing him from criminal penalties.

The Administrative Board has allowed him to return next semester as a full-time student, said Duque, who was reached in Houston where he is working as a journalist for the semester.

“What I did was wrong, and I’m paying for it now,” he told The Crimson yesterday. “I’m just looking to put this event behind me and become a contributing member of the Harvard community again.”

He had not slept in 30 hours in the days leading up to the incident, Duque said, because he was busy with schoolwork and friends. He then “dropped acid” for the first time, which turned out to be “too much to handle.”

Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) officers reported to Quincy C entryway Feb. 24 at about 6:15 p.m. because Duque was allegedly running into rooms and through the hallway, scaring residents, jumping on furniture, and knocking over belongings.

Duque did not respond to officers’ demands to cease his erratic behavior, and soaking wet, slipped from their grasps, according to the police report.

Reports claim he had been sweating profusely, but Duque said he had just finished showering and hadn’t gotten a chance to dress himself.

In his frenzy, he ran back and hit two officers—striking Officer McAuliffe in the nose and Officer Hoey on the left side of his head—before they were finally able to handcuff him, the police report said.

“During this time, Mr. Duque kept repeatedly yelling ‘Fox Club’ and ‘Scrabble,’” according to the police report’s narrative.

Duque confirmed that he is a member of the final club, The Fox, and that his favorite game is scrabble. But Duque said he doesn’t remember that night, and that he was appalled when he heard the reports and apologized to the police officers the next morning.

“The only things I know are what I was told and what I read in The Crimson,” he said.

John C. McMillian, a resident tutor in Quincy who witnessed most of the struggle, said it did not seem like Duque was acting belligerently.

“He was excitedly trying to avoid capture, but he didn’t strike me as being intentionally aggressive,” McMilliam said. “No punches were thrown.”

Duque was transported to the hospital that night, and officers found marijuana in a pair of his pants left strewn at the scene.

Following the altercation, officers searched his room in Quincy and allegedly found 38 “hits” of LSD in his dorm room belonging to Duque’s roommate, Soren J. Siebach ’08. Siebach faces additional charges of marijuana possession and committing a drug violation in a school zone, which carries a minimum of two years if convicted.

Siebach told The Crimson yesterday that he is also on leave, but would like to return.

“My lawyer told me he was trying to get the case dismissed but that the district attorney was being aggressive and trying to put me in jail and hold me responsible for what Steven did,” he said. “The district attorney thinks I should pay for the consequences.”

Siebach will go before a judge at his next pretrail hearing Oct. 3.

McMilliam praised Duque’s maturity and remorse about the incident.

“He has a very good perspective,” he said. “I have a lot of optimism and hope about his future at Harvard. Steven’s a wonderful kid.”

—Staff writer Anna L. Tong can be reached at tong@fas.harvard.edu.