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Trinity student suspended over guns

Web Posted: 01/11/2008 05:01 PM CST

Melissa Ludwig
Express-News

Trinity University has suspended Nathan Michael Hoin for one semester and banned him from living on campus after staff found assault rifles and handguns in his dorm room over the Christmas Break. Police came and found 440 rounds of ammunition in Hoin's vehicle.

Hoin, a 21-year-old junior and Russian history buff, used the weapons for a Red Army battle reenactment in early December, said Sharon Jones Schweitzer, a spokeswoman for the university. Hoin also fired the weapons at a nearby rifle range, which explains the ammunition, she said.

"We are sincerely embarrassed by Nathan's actions and he apologized to the university and to the (conduct) board for having to have the hearing," said Van Hilley, Hoin's lawyer. "He obviously has made a grievous mistake and is doing the best he can to rectify it. He has a clean record, never been in academic trouble and has made a significant error in judgment."

Possessing firearms on a campus is a third-degree felony, punishably by two to 10 years in jail. The case is headed to the District Attorney’s office and Hoin could face criminal charges.

According to Hoin’s MySpace profile, he belongs to the 8th Mechanized Guard, a group that reenacts World War II battles between the Russian and German forces.
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After a reenactment in early December, Hoin tried to store the guns at a friend's house off-campus, Schweitzer said. When that didn't work out, he brought the guns to his dormitory while he cleaned his room for the holidays.

Hoin planned to take the guns home when the dormitories closed on Dec. 16, but got the date wrong, Schweitzer said. The dorms closed Dec. 15. When Hoin came to campus to collect his guns, he learned that police had beat him to the cache.

The decision to suspend Hoin was made by a university conduct board made up of students and faculty. When Hoin returns to campus, he will be put on general probation. Hoin is also banned from living in the dorms, but at Trinity, most seniors live off-campus.