William Scott, who admitted in January that he stole some 30 letters from the Drew University United Methodist Archives Center while working there as an undergraduate, has been
sentenced to three years' probation and 300 hours of community service "by working with underprivileged people." The judge ordered Scott to write a letter to the court each month "describing the progress of his life," and to write letters of apology to 72 character witnesses.
Drew University has also reached a separate, civil settlement with Scott, who paid $7,500 in restitution for the stolen documents (all but one of which have been recovered).
Extremely unfortunate result, but not a particularly surprising one. While I have my doubts that letter-writing and community service are a severe enough punishment for what this guy did, hope springs eternal that he really has learned from the experience. Time will tell.
