Five Assumption University students who were previously facing kidnapping and conspiracy charges in connection to a plan to “catch a predator” have had those charges dropped. Kelsy Brainard, Kevin Carroll, Easton Randall, Joaquin Smith, and Isabella Trudeau had the charges dismissed by Worcester Central District Court Judge Michael Allard-Madaus, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY and the Worcester County District Attorney.
While the charges against these five defendants were dropped, Brainard is still facing a charge of intimidating a witness, police, or court official, and Carroll is still facing a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The court did not provide details on the remaining defendant, a juvenile involved in the case.
Attorneys for Brainard and Trudeau expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, emphasizing that the law was applied appropriately in this case. The lawyers for Carroll, Randall, and Smith did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The incident involved the accused students assaulting a man on the Assumption University campus who they believed to be a sexual predator targeting underage girls. The man, a 22-year-old U.S. Army member visiting from North Carolina, had been communicating with one of the students on the dating app Tinder. He claimed that he was lured to meet the student at the university campus, where he was ambushed by a group of students who accused him of inappropriate behavior.
The man reported the incident to Worcester police, stating that he was attending his grandmother’s funeral in the area and was looking for companionship. He described being confronted by a large group of people who made false accusations against him and physically restrained him before he was able to escape.
According to court documents, the man was attacked by a group at his car, where they punched him in the back of the head, slammed his car door on his head, and kicked his vehicle. He managed to drive away and called the police. Later, Carroll confessed to slamming the man’s head in the car door.
Surveillance footage showed Brainard leading the man into a building and down a set of stairs to a lounge area. The footage then captured the man running up the stairs as a group of people chased him with their phones out. The group was seen laughing and high-fiving each other afterward. Investigators also found online footage of the incident and reviewed Tinder messages between the man and Brainard, which did not indicate he was seeking minors.
The incident was inspired by a social media trend resembling “To Catch a Predator,” where content creators confront adults who attempt to meet minors online. In the Assumption University case, Randall revealed that Brainard, Trudeau, Smith, Carroll, and another individual worked together on the plot. The group began chatting about the man on Tinder in a group chat for Alumni Hall residents.
Assumption University stated that the actions of the students do not reflect the school’s values. The university’s police department filed charges describing the incident.
