General manager of Zorn charged in stabbing

    The general manager of the Zorn Dining Commons has been arrested and placed on administrative leave of absence after his involvement in a stabbing incident last week.

    According to the Keene Sentinel Paul Paltrineri was charged with first-degree assault after allegedly stabbing a man in Swanzey last Wednesday. Paltrineri was also the adviser for the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority at KSC. On Friday, Sept. 25,  Vice President of Student Affairs Andy Robinson sent an e-mail through MyKSC alerting students of the incident.

    “The college has valued Mr. Paltrineri's service to our community and is saddened by this incident,” Robinson said in his e-mail.

    Robinson suggested students impacted by the incident should contact counseling services on campus. Robinson said the incident has impacted the campus in an “emotional” way.

    “There’s a sense of sadness for everyone involved,” Robinson said. “The sorority is functioning well and the DC will be fine, but there’s an emotional impact people are trying to deal with.”

    Delta Phi Epsilon President Megan Connolly said she was “shocked” when she heard about the incident.

    “I was upset when I heard like I think a lot of people on campus were,” Connolly said. “I thought it was made-up.”

    Connolly and other members of Delta Phi Epsilon said Paltrineri was like a “father” to the sorority. Vice-President of Programming Chantal DiBartolomeo said that replacing Paltrineri would be hard.

    “He was a role model to all of us,” DiBartolomeo said. “He was like our dad basically, so we’re lost.”

    “It’ll be like a member of our organization is missing,” Connolly said.

    Vice-President of Recruitment Alyssa Day said the incident was very upsetting for the whole sorority.

    “We have him and his family in our hearts and prayers,” Day said. “He’s very special to us so there’s already been an emotional impact.”

    Day said the incident wouldn’t just affect Delta Phi Epsilon, but the entire campus.

    “We’re not the only ones who feel this way,” Day said. “Everyone who knows him would say the same thing.”

    Robinson’s e-mail did not mention any specifics regarding the incident or the charges against Paltrineri. Some students felt the school should have given more information about the incident.

    Sophomore Dana Ward said he felt the MyKSC message was “vague.”

    “The school wasn't very blunt about it,” Ward said. “After I read the e-mail I kind of wondered what the guy did.”

    Junior Shannon McCann said she was confused about the details of the story when she heard the news.

    “It was kind of weird when I heard about it,” McCann said. “But I heard a lot of things and wasn't sure what was true.”

    McCann said she thought the school was right not to alert students of the nature of the incident.

    The Sentinel reported that Paltrineri stabbed who he believed to be his wife's boyfriend at her apartment in Swanzey on Wednesday. Paltrineri, his wife and the victim were all taken to Chesire Medical Center but did not have life threatening injuries. Paltrineri and his wife are filing for divorce.

    Paltrineri is currently being held with a $500,000 bail. He is scheduled to be in court later this week where it is possible the charge could be escalated to attempted murder. Keene State Dining Services had no comment on the incident. However, Operations Manager Bonnie Blanchard will be assisting with the general manager responsibilities for the time being.

Brian Anderson can be contacted at banderson@keeneequinox.com.

The Equinox has corrected this article, as it had contained false information about Paltrineri's association with Keene State College.  Paltrineri was not a faculty or staff member of Keene State, but a hired member of Sodexho services.  We are very sorry for the mistake made and a correction will also be printed in next week's edition of The Equinox.