Quinnipiac Student, 18, Charged With Reckless Burning: Police

HAMDEN, CT — A Quinnipiac University student was arrested and subsequently suspended after police responded to a report of criminal mischief at the school's Mount Carmel campus on Halloween, according to the Hamden Police Department.

An arrest log from the HPD shows Dimitrios Constantio Panayotopoulos, 18, of Stamford, was charged with reckless burning, a felony; second-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree criminal mischief, both misdemeanors. He was arrested at 5 p.m., on Oct. 31, the log states.

"The safety of our students is always our top priority," said John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations at QU, in an emailed statement to Patch.

"The student has been suspended from the university pending their conduct meeting. We applaud our public safety officers, and facilities and residential life staffs for their swift response, which led to the student’s arrest and removal from the university community. Destructive behavior will not be tolerated. That is simply not consistent with the culture of Quinnipiac students," Morgan added.

The HPD activity log from Oct. 31 shows Panayotopoulos's arrest was related to a report of criminal mischief -private property, on Mount Carmel Avenue shortly before 2:30 p.m.

The QU public safety crime and fire logs also note that an incident of arson was reported at 1:54 p.m., on Oct. 31 at Dana English Hall, a co-ed residence building on the university's Mount Carmel campus.

It's unclear what Panayotopoulos is accused of setting on fire, or what led to the incident.

According to the CT Judicial Branch website, Panayotopoulos was released on a $1,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 16.