MU student robbed on campus
by Kendra Foster, posted Sept. 29, 2008
When someone says the word robbery, pictures of evil-doing villains with guns may flash through the mind. Suddenly, everyone may seem to be watching his or her back after a robbery actually occurs. The fact is that one did. A robbery took place just after midnight on Sept. 17, at MU.
MU Police officers were dispatched to Francis Quadrangle at 12:10 a.m., where they spoke to the man who was robbed, according to a Clery report released to MU students that day. The 21-year-old male MU student told the officers that he was attacked and robbed of his wallet and cell phone. He gave descriptions of three males that included their clothing and the directions they fled. The robbery occurred between Engineering Building East and Switzler Hall, according to the report. There were no injuries reported.
According to the Missouri Uniform Crime Reporting Program done by the Missouri Highway Patrol, in 2007 MU Police reported two robberies for the entire year. This robbery happened within the first four weeks of the semester.
Becky Kerr, a MU junior agricultural education major, wasn’t too worried about this one incident. “I think that campus is as safe as it has always been; people just need to be careful when they are out that late,” she said.
When contacted, MU Police Captain Brian Weimer said that the campus police have leads that they are currently following, and he thanked students for responding to the report. Since it is still an open investigation, Capt. Weimer was unable to give more information.
He did, however, give some helpful tips to avoid being a victim of a crime such as this.
1. When traveling at night, always travel in well-lit areas.
2. Stay on the main paths, and don’t cut through alleyways.
3. When able to, travel in pairs.
4. Avoid distractions such as talking on a cell phone, reading or listening to a headset. Otherwise, someone could approach without being noticed.
On the MU Police Web site, students are encouraged to fill out a form that documents everything in their wallets, just in case something like this should happen. It can be found under the crime prevention link. Capt. Weimer said that even on safe campuses, like MU, crime still happens.
“Even if you do everything properly, you can still be the victim of a crime,” he said. “It is not the victim’s fault.”
Editor’s note: Since this story was written, MU Police have arrested three men in connection to this crime. Police arrested Stafford D. Lambert, Michael J. Zellman and Demetrius O. Edwards. Further information was not available as it is still an ongoing investigation.
