Longwood University student Gus Phillip Altschuler returned to Prince Edward County this Monday to face a preliminary hearing for a pair of felony charges levied by the Farmville Police Department. Altschuler was arrested and charged with rape and an additional felony charge of abduction with intent to defile.
Farmville Chief of Police Doug Mooney defined Monday’s hearing as a step in Virginia’s felony criminal trial process “to make sure there was enough probable cause to take this case to the grand jury, and [there] was.”
The case now moves from the General District Court to Circuit Court with a grand jury hearing scheduled for April 22 at 9:30 a.m. Monday’s hearing, which began as open, was quickly closed to the public as several students were present in the courthouse in support of the victim, who has been identified by the Farmville Police as a female Longwood student. With a full room at the onset of the hearing, the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s office directed standing supporters out, citing concerns with safety and seating capacity.
This was accepted by the judge; however, The Rotunda was allowed a reporter to remain present. During the hearing, events from the night were discussed in great detail. According to depictions read in court on Monday, the victim reported to have been dancing for approximately 10 minutes before the assault occurred at a residence on the 600 block of Buffalo Street.
The case now moves from the General District Court to Circuit Court with a grand jury hearing scheduled for April 22 at 9:30 a.m.
According to Mooney, the grand jury, made up of upstanding citizens of Farmville, will sit in and hear the basic details on the upcoming court case, and they will see if it’s enough to give a true bill of indictment. Normally, at this point, there is no trouble getting it to go through. T he preliminary hearing concluded around 10:20 a.m., with legal counsel remaining behind in closed discussion as Altschuler and the victim, along with their families, exited the courthouse. They will return in less than two weeks to stand in front of a grand jury, whom will hear what Mooney referred to as “the basic details” of the case and, if they determine there is probable cause Altschuler committed either or both felonies, it will determine if the case goes to trial.
Mooney told The Rotunda that he anticipates a grand jury will move forward with the case. According to Mooney, all evidence will be on the table for this particular event; if it goes beyond probable cause, it has to be beyond all reasonable doubt.
“We owe it to our citizens to do the best we can to prove what happened,” said Mooney. “If someone did commit a crime, it is up to us to do the best job we can to prove if they did or didn’t do it ... Sex offenses aren’t the easiest cases to prosecute. In this case, the detective has done a great job of proving all of the elements of this crime.”
Mooney said the Farmville Police Department is doing their best to get all the information needed to preform a successful trial in late April.
“Everybody in society has an opinion, so we have to show the facts. We can’t go by public opinion; we go by what the facts say,” said Mooney.
With less than a month remaining in the spring semester, and with Spring Weekend just ahead, Mooney had a message for Longwood students.
“For the student body, I encourage people to be careful [when choosing] what houses they go to for a party,” said Mooney. “If you’re out in society, you’re not going to go to a stranger’s house if they’re having a party. It should be no different in college. If you don’t know them, don’t go.” The grand jury hearing is closed to the public. Continue to check The Rotunda for further detail regarding this case.
