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Dean's son accused in country club burglary

Democratic hopeful cancels some campaign events

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

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BURLINGTON, Vermont (CNN) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean canceled some campaign appearances and returned to Vermont on Friday after his teenage son was cited in connection with a burglary at a country club.

Dean's 17-year-old son was issued a police citation for the incident and will be charged as an accessory, according to the Dean campaign, which said the youths were trying to steal alcoholic beverages.

The incident allegedly involving Paul Dean, a junior at Burlington High School, and four of his friends, took place Thursday night or early Friday. The Dean campaign said the youths are members of the school's hockey team, of which Paul is captain.

Police confirmed the citation and said the younger Dean must appear in court August 5, but provided no further details.

The Burlington Country Club was the target of the burglary, but a woman who answered the phone in its business office told CNN, "Everything was recovered."

The Deans are not members of the club, she said.

According to the Dean campaign, Paul was sitting in a car while his friends were inside the club. A police officer spotted Paul, questioned him and learned what was going on, the campaign said.

Dean spokeswoman Courtney O'Donnell said the candidate was "taking this very seriously" but was still learning the specifics of the incident. "He asks the press to respect the privacy of his family, particularly his son, during this time."

Dean released a statement saying: "Early this morning, my 17-year-old son Paul and several friends were cited in court by the Burlington Police Department for attempting to steal alcoholic beverages from a local country club.

"When a child gets in trouble like this, it constitutes a family crisis, and I believe it's important that I be home. I have canceled my scheduled campaign appearances tomorrow in Iowa so that I can return to Vermont and deal personally with what my family and I consider a very serious matter.

"I understand that this matter is being handled by the state's attorney, and I hope the press and the public will respect the privacy of my family -- particularly of my son -- during this difficult time."

Dean is a former governor of Vermont and is one of nine Democrats seeking his party's nomination for the 2004 presidential election.

He canceled campaign events in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday and in Iowa on Saturday.

However, his campaign said he will resume his public schedule with an appearance in Washington, D.C. on NBC's "Meet the Press" and then attend an event with Jesse Jackson in Chicago, Illinois. He also plans to attend two fund-raisers in Chicago on Sunday evening.

He plans a formal announcement of his campaign -- which has been under way several months -- in Burlington on Monday.


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