Correction: A previous version of this article and its headline stated that Hopper was found guilty of simple assault, when instead he pleaded no contest. A previous version also stated that the victim originally reported the incident to the local police instead of to the school. The DP regrets the errors.
On Monday, a Wharton freshman pleaded no contest in a simple assault case in New Hampshire court.
Ronald "Hopper" Hillegass, who was arrested in January on four counts of simple assault and domestic violence charges for burning his girlfriend with a lamp, pleaded his charges down to violation-level simple assault and was fined $500. He pleaded no contest to "knowingly caus[ing] unprivileged physical contact to another, to wit ... in that the defendant did press a light fixture to the Female Juveniles [sic] leg," according to court documents, but not to intentionally burning her.
Hillegass was also ordered to see a court-appointed counselor and was told not to contact the victim or her family for three years. In addition to the fee and counseling, Hillegass was ordered to tour the Merrimack County jail.
A violation is not considered a criminal charge in New Hampshire.
The incident that led to Hillegass's arrest took place at a school dance in January. According to the complaint, Hillegass's 17-year-old girlfriend of the time said she suffered second-degree burns after Hillegass pressed a hot lamp against her leg.
A graduate of St. Paul's School, Hillegass was recruited to be a member of the Varsity Rowing team. At the time of publication, it was unclear whether Hillegass's plea of no-contest would affect his status at Penn. Hillegass's information was still listed on QuakerNet and the Penn Directory as of Tuesday evening.
A family member of the victim, who agreed to speak to the Daily Pennsylvanian in June on the condition of anonymity, said that the girl reported the incident to the school, who then handed the case over to the local police department. The police then launched an investigation and subsequently arrested Hillegass.
Since his arrest, Hillegass did not attend school for most of the spring semester and there is a restraining order in place against the victim. While he was not allowed to attend his classes, Hillegass still graduated in the spring.
Hillegass's trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday. St. Paul's has gained media attention because another graduate, Owen Labrie, faces trial this week on charges of rape against a 15-year-old student following an incident in May 2014. That trial is currently underway in the Merrimack County Superior Court. Labrie had his acceptance to Harvard University revoked this fall.
This article was last updated at 10:26 p.m. Check back for updates.
