A University sophomore has been charged with criminal mischief after attempting to break into the ATM located in the Hinton Center on March 11.

University police arrested the 19-year-old student at approximately 1:30 a.m. after he fled the scene and was found running along Fondren Road.

According to the University Police Department, the student followed maintenance personnel into Hinton, sprayed black spray paint on the ATM's security camera and then used a crowbar to pry open the plastic cover surrounding the machine's cash vault.

The custodial staff heard the noise and alerted the police before the vault could be opened.

Police said the student fled the scene and was later taken into custody after a short struggle with officers.

The maintenance personnel later identified the student, telling officers that his appearance matched that of the vandal.

University police chief Charles Miller said the student was jailed that night.

"He decided to commit a crime against the University," Miller said. "My officers are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. If you commit a crime on campus, we will put you in jail."

The student has been charged with felony criminal mischief and has been released on bail, according to the Harris County District Clerk's Office. He is currently awaiting trial after being formally charged on March 29. No plea has been entered into court records.

The student could face jail time if convicted.

According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, the University ranks as one of the safest schools in the Greater Houston area.

In 2009, the University reported 21 larcenies or thefts, two burglaries and one burglary of a motor vehicle.

Miller said that while the University's crime rate remains low, students and faculty should not think that crime does not happen and advised they remain vigilant.

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Two masked men with a crowbar reportedly bound, robbed and beat three men near Lamar University this weekend.

Officers responded to a house in the 500 block of Iowa Avenue at 4:28 a.m. on Saturday and were told that the two men had apparently entered the residence through an unlocked window and then bound, beat and robbed three men in the house of their wallets and car keys, according to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department.

MPD seeks information on Park St. stabbing

March 28, 2011

Madison police are investigating the apparent stabbing death of a 23-year-old man after a fight at a south side gas station this weekend.

Although UW-Madison students live in apartments and houses in the nearby area, there are no known campus ties to the victim or assailant  or known threats to the neighborhood.

Investigators say they believe the man was stabbed during a large fight involving several people at the BP station in the 300 block of South Park Street at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 27.

Police said it appears no one involved in the disturbance lives in the immediate area. A person of interest is in custody at this time and the investigation is continuing.

However, UWPD and MPD continue to urge students to consider their own personal safety, especially while out at night. The tips include:

• Never walk alone, particularly at night.
• Carry a cell phone and dial 911 for help.
• Lock your doors, even when you are home.
• Campus and downtown are part of a growing city. Use your instincts and common sense as your first defense.
• Don’t let anyone you don’t know into your apartment or residence hall.
• If you plan to drink, do so in moderation to avoid putting yourself in a position of increased risk.

Investigators say that they want to speak with anyone who may have been in the area of the gas station at the time of the disturbance.

Anyone with information can call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014. Callers can remain anonymous.

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The Assistant Vice President in charge of the Department of Public Safety and Security Services (DPSSS) or his designee, develop Campus Safety Alert notices for the University community to notify members of the University community about serious crimes against people that occur on campus, where it is determined that the incident may pose an ongoing threat to members of the University community. The Campus Safety Alert notice will include information that will promote safety and will aid in the prevention of similar crimes. The decision to issue a Campus Safety Alert is made on a case-by-case basis considering the validity of the information about the crime reported to DPSSS, facts surrounding a crime, the nature of the crime, continuing danger to the campus community, and risk of compromising law enforcement efforts.

Campus Safety Alert notices are usually disseminated for the following FBI Uniform Crime Report /National Incident Based Reporting System classifications: arson, criminal homicide, sex offenses (forcible rape, forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, forcible fondling, incest, and statutory rape), robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and hate crimes. Cases of aggravated assault and sex offenses are considered on a case by case basis, depending on the facts of the case, and the information known by DPSSS. For example, if an aggravated assault occurs between two students who have a disagreement, there may be no ongoing threat to other members of the University community; therefore, a Campus Safety Alert notice would not be distributed. Sexual assaults are considered on a case by case basis, depending on the facts of the case, when and where the incident occurred, when it was reported, and the amount of information known by DPSSS.

Campus crime alert

Due to two recent incidents (described below) on campus, the community is cautioned to be alert to suspicious behaviors and to report immediately to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) when people unaffiliated with the University are loitering, attempting to gain access to buildings, or are in areas where they are not permitted. Although Gallaudet is a private university, the surrounding community has access to our campus, and we are not immune from crime. DPS requests the assistance of the community in playing an active role in keeping everyone safe. Remember, if you see something, say something.

DPS dispatch contact information:

dps.office@gallaudet.edu

202-651-5444 (TTY)

202-651-5445 (Voice)

202-651-5555 Emergency (Voice/TTY)

Incident #1

Attempt robbery: On 03/10/11 at approximately 5:45 p.m., a student was approached on the upper level of Hanson plaza by a group of juveniles who are not affiliated with the University. One of the subjects gestured to the student if he could use their phone and was denied. The subject requested access to a residence hall, but the student knew they were not affiliated with the University and denied them access. The subject attempted to snatch the student's wallet and the student resisted. The subject then attempted to remove the student's phone from the student's pocket, but was unsuccessful, and the group of juveniles ran in the direction of Switzer Drive. The student pushed the duress alarm and DPS arrived, and the Metropolitan Police Department was contacted.

Incident #2

Theft II: On 02/18/11 at approximately 10:20 p.m., a student was approached in front of Benson Hall Circle by three juveniles unaffiliated with the University. One of the juveniles gestured to borrow the student's pager. When the student handed the juvenile his pager the subjects ran from the area and the student pursued them. When the student caught up with the suspects they turned and brandished knives. When the suspects saw a DPS officer they threw the pager back to the student and fled the scene.

University of Michigan police have issued a crime alert about a sexual assault reported at the South Forest Street parking structure in Ann Arbor, at 616 S. Forest Ave.

According to the alert, a female student told Ann Arbor police that she was walking alone on the north side of the structure at 12:45 a.m. today when she was pushed to the ground by four unknown men, one of whom assaulted her. They fled in an unknown direction.

The suspects are described as four white males, 18-24 years old, possibly wearing sweatpants and U-M sweatshirts. One possibly had brown curly hair.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the U-M Department of Public Safety at 734-763-1131.

By Matthew McGowan

Texas Tech police are investigating a female student's claims she was sexually assualted over the weekend, and two male suspects have turned themselves in.

Campus authorities say the two men are cooperating with authorities after Tech police issued an alert Monday looking for them in connection to a sexual assault that may have occurred early Saturday in a 7th-floor study lounge at Coleman Hall on campus.

Tech police Col. Kenny Evans said the men have not been arrested or charged with a a crime, so their names are not available. He said his department is still conducting an investigation and plans to hand the case over to the district attorney's office, where charges may or may not be filed. 

According to the alert, the victim said she was awaiting a male friend in the residence hall's lobby after returning from a party where she was drinking at another residence hall. The friend had returned to the party to retrieve belongings she left behind while she waited for him in the lobby.

The student said two men, upon discovering she was heavily intoxicated, took her upstairs to the study hall and sexually assaulted her sometime between 1:30 and 2 a.m.

After reporting the incident to police later that morning, the victim was taken to University Medical Center for treatment.

Tech police are asking for witnesses to come forward by callling 742-3931.

Campus crime statistics show four reported cases of forcible sex in 2009, the most recent year for the university's crime report.