Brianna Brochu, an ex-University of Hartford student accused of poisoning her former roommate has received probation after pleading not guilty to charges of breach of peace and criminal mischief, the Hartford Courant reports.
Brochu's former roommate, Chennel "Jazzy" Rowe, was shown a post from Brochu's Instagram that said the ex-student had spent more than a month "spitting in her coconut oil, putting moldy clam dip in her lotions, rubbing used tampons [on] her backpack, putting her toothbrush where the sun don't shine and so much more."
The whole ordeal was traumatic for Rowe, who claimed to suffer from a prolonged sickness resulting from exposure to uncommon microbes. At the time of Brochu's arrest, Rowe said her illness, which vexed doctors, had gotten “to the point where I had extreme throat pain that I couldn’t sleep, to the point where I couldn’t speak.”
Following Brochu's arrest, the NAACP hoped that ex-student would be charged with a hate crime; however, Brochu avoided that charge, and was instead charged with harassment.
When first facing her charges in court, Brochu asked that she be granted a special form of probation that would eventually see her with a clean record. This week, that request was granted.
Brochu has been assigned 200 hours of community service; 50 of those hours must be served at a literacy organization and 50 must be served at a social services group. Should Brochu complete her service and avoid any future trouble, the charges of breach of peace and criminal mischief will be dismissed after two years. Further, Brochu must have no contact with Rowe and must submit to a mental-health evaluation.
Rowe attended Brochu's Supreme Court hearing and did not oppose her harasser's accelerated rehabilitation request. Brochu's attorney, Thomas Stevens, apologized on her behalf.
Brochu apparently wanted to directly apologize to Rowe and “express her regret,” but Stevens instructed her not to, due to his concerns over possible civil litigation.