By Heather Hamacek
BU News Service

With shackled hands raised to cover their faces, four Boston University students stood behind a glass window of the prisoners dock in Brighton Municipal Court as they waited to hear if they would, once again, be released on bail.

Michael Oldcorn, 20, John Pavia, 20, Sawyer Petric, 19, and Terry Bartrug, 20, appeared before Judge David Donnelly for a hearing to reinstate their bail, after it had been revoked on charges of keeping a disorderly house while on pretrial probation and spending three days in jail.  They ultimately were released on their own recognizance.

The four students allegedly hosted two Allston parties at 85 Linden St. that both ended with the police being called.  The second party was during their pretrial probation for the first party, and landed them in Nashua Street Jail this past week.

The first motion put forward by the lawyer for the defense of Pavia, Petric and Bartrug, David Yannetti, was to not bring the defendants out, or allow them something to cover their faces.  Judge Donnelly declined, but allowed the defendants to cover their faces with their hands.

“My clients have now been in custody for three days,” said Yannetti.  He said three days is longer than they would serve for the offense they are charged with.

When Patrick Sheehan, attorney for the defense of Michael Oldcorn, suggested that bail be reinstated with certain limitations, Judge Donnelly said the bail they violated had those limitations.

“They [the limitations] didn’t work, that’s why we’re here,” said Donnelly.

Judge Donnelly ruled that the four defendants were to be released on their own recognizance, with the original conditions of release applying and a few additions.

They all must stay drug and alcohol free, with random testing.  “None of them are twenty-one, certainly they should be alcohol free and drug free,” said Donnelly.

No traveling outside the city of Boston without completing their community service hours and notifying their probation officers, with the exception for family events on religious holidays is allowed.  And they must respect a curfew of 10PM to 6AM Sunday through Thursday and from 12AM through 6AM Friday and Saturday.

The pretrial probation will last until September when their lease on 85 Linden St. is up.

Speaking to the press after the trail, Sheehan said, “I understand where the judge made the decision [to revoke bail] from legally speaking, but it doesn’t mean I agree with it.”

He said he thinks the plan for all the defendants is to move out of the house where both charges of keeping a disorderly house occurred.

“They [the defendants] were prepared to go to classes on Wednesday, and instead they were in Nashua Street Jail,” Yannetti said to the press. “Never in a million years did they think they’d be in that situation.

As for the future of the defendants, Yannetti said, “I expect they will further their education and go on to bright careers.”

The four defendants are expected back in court on Apr. 1.