Four students were arrested early last Friday morning for allegedly vandalizing a parking meter in Harvard Square.

The Harvard University police and the Cambridge police apprehended the students on Bow Street near its intersection with Plympton Street at 3:48 a.m., according to the Cambridge Police Blotter.

The students were found "smashing [the parking meter] on the curb," said Frank T. Pasquarello, spokesperson for Cambridge police.

Witnesses approached the Cambridge police and positively identified Gregory E. Curvall '99, Ian S. Rice '98, Ryan P. Korinke '99 and Russell T. Hancock '99 as the suspects, according to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD).

An unidentified neighbor reportedly saw the students vandalizing the meter, according to Bernard A. Flynn, assistant director for parking for the city of Cambridge.

"Apparently a couple of them attempted to flee but were in turn stopped," said Peggy A. McNamara, spokesperson for HUPD.

Korinke and Rice refused to comment yesterday. Curvall and Hancock were not available for comment last night.

Because parking meters are under the city's jurisdiction, HUPD turned the case over to Cambridge police.

Pasquarello said the students were not tested for intoxication because police are not permitted to test suspects' blood-alcohol levels unless it is directly relevant to the case.

"I hope they didn't do it sober," Pasquarello quipped.

The students were charged with disturbing the peace and malicious destruction, according to the Cambridge police blotter.

The four students were arraigned in court Tuesday, said Brian Heffron, spokesperson for the Middlesex County District Attorney's office. They were sentenced to 150 hours of community service each to be completed within the next three months. They must also give full restitution for the parking meter, which will cost a total of about $700, he said.

The judge specified that the students would fulfill their community service hours by tutoring underprivileged children in Cambridge.

"That's pretty considerable time," Heffron said.

Heffron said that the charges against the students would be dropped before the students graduate provided they "stay out of trouble" until then.

Many authorities involved said they believed the incident should not permanently damage the students' criminal records.

"My recommendation to the district attorney and to the CPD is that as soon as restitution is accomplished, the matter should be dropped," Flynn said. "It was just somewhat of a prank."

"People have to recognize that things do happen and this is not the end of the world," he added.

People who vandalize parking meters are rarely caught by police, Flynn said.

Members of a social club on Mount Auburn Street were punished by the University about seven years ago for stealing four to five parking meters, according to Flynn. Employees of the parking department followed a trail of scrape marks down the sidewalk, up the front steps of the club and across hardwood floors to find the stolen parking meters