Charges Against Lampoon Smasher Dropped

A Harvard student arrested for vandalizing the building of the Harvard Lampoon—a semi-secret Sorrento Square social organization that used to occasionally publish a so-called humor magazine—can now breathe easy.

In a hearing presided over by a judge who was a former member of the Lampoon, prosecutors dropped charges yesterday against Gaurav Yadav ’05, who had been charged with wanton and malicious destruction of property after he allegedly broke a stained-glass window by repeatedly throwing a brick at the Lampoon building early on June 9.

Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) officers patrolling the area saw Yadav throw the brick twice, causing the window to shatter “inside and out,” according to a report filed by HUPD Officer Gregory J. Foley Jr. The officers gave chase to and arrested Yadav after he refused to stop for them.

The “historical commemorative” window, according to the report, was more than 100 years old. Colin K. Jost ’04, the president of the Lampoon, said it cost nearly $5,000 to replace.

Jost said he did not know why Yadav had assaulted the window, since he had no known involvement with any of the Lampoon staff.

“I don’t know who he is, and I haven’t met him as far as I can remember,” he said. “It just seemed like sort of an unreasonable thing to do. I’d be interested to know what his motive was. But my concern is just more him paying for the replacement of the window.”

Yadav declined to comment.

According to Jost, the Lampoon has had no involvement with the legal aspects of the case.

At a discovery compliance hearing yesterday at the Cambridge District Court, the prosecution dropped all charges “without prejudice” against Yadav.

Donatos E. Lallos, Yadav’s court-appointed attorney, said Yadav had “reached accord and satisfaction” with the Lampoon, having agreed to apologize and pay for the broken window. Lallos had made the case that Yadav is a rising Harvard junior without a criminal record.

Though none of its current staff were present at the hearing, the Lampoon had an unlikely representative in the form of Judge George R. Sprague ’60, who had himself been a Lampoon member.

He offered to recuse himself from the Yadav case, based on his potential for bias. But Lallos said he did not think being a member of the Lampoon would have been cause enough for being partial to the case’s outcome.

Sprague reprimanded Yadav for defacing what he called “an historical building.”

And after the prosecution dropped the charges, he asked Yadav whether he was a member of The Harvard Crimson.

When Yadav denied the accusation, the judge commented that it is “usually the Crimson who does the damage to the Harvard Lampoon,” while eyeballing the staff photographer from The Crimson and laughing.

Sprague could not be reached for comment.

—Brian M. Haas contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Ryan J. Kuo can be reached at kuo@fas.harvard.edu.