Our President Arrested
SGA President Ainooson Arrested for Allegedly Dealing Drugs from Home
Ben Whelan
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: News
President of the Undergraduate Student Government Terral Ainooson was arrested in his home on Veterans Day by members of the Boston Police Department and charged with possession of a class D substance with intent to distribute, according to police documents.
According to published reports, members of the BPD's Drug Control Unit (DCU) executed a search warrant at the Sudan street residence at approximately 6:20 PM on Veteran's Day after receiving complaints that the location was being used to distribute narcotics. After identifying themselves to the occupants, who were later determined to be Ainooson and former UMass Boston baseball player Ryan Oshima, police entered the residence through the front door and subsequently conducted a search of the premises that led to the recovery of a number of plastic bags containing marijuana. Police also recovered numerous items of paraphernalia used in the possible distribution of drugs, including a number of small plastic baggies, a grinder, and a scale of the type often used to measure narcotics.
A source with the Boston Police Department revealed that both suspects have been arraigned on the charges, although it is unclear when and whether a court date has been set as of time of press.
Ainooson was elected as President of the undergraduate student senate in the Fall of 2008 and it is currently unclear how these events will affect his status in the student government, at least until the termination of the criminal proceedings.
With information about this story still coming in, please be sure to check www.umassmedia.com for further updates and information.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 22
Senator
posted 11/17/09 @ 8:12 PM EST
The president needs to be IMPEACHED!!!
Anonymous Student
posted 11/18/09 @ 10:09 AM EST
I am disgusted by people's reactions to this. This arrest is not news pertinent to the UMass Boston campus. Student Government has not done anything for the campus at all this year, so why run an article that will smear someone's life when they are clearly in a rough spot?
What about how Terral is feeling? A comment from him maybe? Notifying him that you were going to publish this perhaps? I am ashamed to be part of the UMB community today because of you writing this Ben. (Continued…)
Anonymoose
posted 11/19/09 @ 6:55 PM EST
Anonymous Student, this is precisely the kind of reporting that is valuable and effective in any community, I stridently disagree with you and suspect that you would wish this not reported on - covered up - because you are (I'm supposing) Terral's personal friend. (Continued…)
danroche
Anonymoose
posted 11/19/09 @ 7:10 PM EST
Anonymous,
I am disgusted by your disgust. If the President of the Student Senate's arrest for possession and distribution of illicit substances is not newsworthy for the Mass Media, I ask you, what is?
Obviously you only have misgivings because you are Terral's personal friend. (Continued…)
Andrew Ghobrial
posted 11/21/09 @ 2:22 AM EST
As a member of the student government I must say that I am highly disappointed by the Mass Media and its staff for writing such an article. We in this country have a presumption of innocence until tried and thus posting such material without any clear conviction of its accuracy can unjustly mar a person and the entire community. (Continued…)
Dan Roche
posted 11/21/09 @ 10:38 PM EST
And just to be clear, I don't write out of any animosity towards Terral, who seems like a good guy overall. But again, he's a grown-up and makes his own decisions. (Continued…)
anonymous
posted 11/22/09 @ 1:54 PM EST
Doesn't more than 75% of the UMB community smoke including you, Ben? I'm not exactly sure how a marijuana enthusiast as yourself can judge and convict a person as you did in "your" paper. (Continued…)
jacob rafassi
posted 11/23/09 @ 6:04 AM EST
For all those defending Ben Whelan. Ben held the story so he could get all the credit for breaking it. So shut up about him. Anyway Terral may have done something illegal (or may not have), but it doesn't need to be on the front page of the Mass Media website for a week straight under "breaking news". (Continued…)
LMC
posted 11/25/09 @ 3:38 PM EST
I am very disappointed in the Mass Media regarding the story on Terral. The story read more like a tabloid article and less like responsible, tactful and clean journalism. (Continued…)
Dan R
posted 11/26/09 @ 5:31 PM EST
What do you mean, "all those," Jacob. I seem to be the only one defending Ben against - one, two, three - four people attacking him in "defense" of Terral. (Continued…)
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