
Message from the Interim Board: Recent Arrests of Former Shambhala Members
The Interim Board issued a communication addressing the arrest, stating that neither it nor the International Care and Conduct Panel were aware of any incidents involving Michael Smith prior to his arrest, and that during the subsequent information discovery process, questions arose related to how the case was handled internally by Shambhala leaders in the 1990s. As a result of this, the Interim Board has decided to formally investigate this case by hiring a third-party investigator, and will report back with details once that is completed.
On June 30, they also suspended a leader who had been involved with handling this incident, Dennis Southward, from all teaching and authorizations, pending the results of the investigation. They also urge anyone with information about criminal activity to report it to local authorities, and provide the contact of Det. Ross Richert of the Boulder Police Deparment (303-441-1833).
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