Charges have been dropped against a Yale University dining hall employee who destroyed a stained-glass window depicting slaves in a cotton field last month.
Corey Menafee, a 38-year-old dining hall employee, was initially charged with criminal mischief and a misdemeanor reckless endangerment charge, but Yale University officials asked the state not to pursue criminal charges against him.
Menafee, who is black, admitted that he probably shouldn't have broken the window inside Calhoun College last month, but found the image disturbing.
“An image was brought to my attention and I destroyed that image. I probably shouldn’t have, but I did,” he previously said after a court appearance. "It was a disturbing image of what appeared to be two slaves -- a male and a female -- carrying baskets to a cotton field."
Calhoun College was named for former Vice President John C. Calhoun, an ardent defender of slavery during the 19th century and the name has been the subject of protests by students who want it changed.
Yale also previously released a statement, saying Menafee “expressed deep remorse” for smashing the window” and would be allowed “to return to a position in a different setting” after serving a five-week unpaid suspension going back to June 21, when he resigned.
“We are willing to take these unusual steps given the unique circumstances of this matter, and it is now up to Mr. Menafee whether he wishes to return to Yale,” the school said in a statement on Monday.
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Menafee's attorney, Patricia Kane, said her client was "delighted to accept Yale's offer."
Menafee has since returned to work.
