By Elise Schoening
Features Editor
Every week, Features Editor Elise Schoening hits the archives and finds old Signals that relate to current College topics and top stories.
Over the past few weeks, the College community has been dealing with an influx of residence hall intruders. The incident has left students uneasy and led to an uptick in police presence on campus, although this is not the first time that crime has plagued the campus community. In 2004, a murder shook the College. No students lost their lives, however. Instead, a local cat was shot and killed by a few students of the College.
Four students are being investigated by both Ewing police and the College in the murder of a cat on Pennsylvania Avenue.
According to a Times of Trenton article from January 30, the cat belonged to Al Jones, an employee of B&B Mowing Services on Pennington Road. He found the cat wounded and a few boys standing nearby holding a pellet gun.
After the cat died that same evening, an X-ray found a pellet in its brain. The boys accused of the crime rent a house on Pennsylvania Avenue near the B&B Mowing Service. The murder took place in the backyard of the house, which is adjacent to the business.
Detective Lieutenant Ken Pieslak, who was quoted in the article, said that the boys accused of killing the cat could face animal cruelty and weapons possessions charges.
“Maybe (the accused students) should get involved more involved in the campus activities, so that they don’t do things like that anymore because shooting a cat is wrong on quite a few levels,” Deep Gill, freshman biology major, said. “There are a lot of activities during the week that students with extra time can get involved in.”
According to The Times of Trenton, Patrice Coleman-Boatwright, secretary for the Board of Trustees at the College, said that they will look into the case in terms of not only different judicial proceedings, but also relationships with the community.
Mary-Elaine Perry, dean of Student Life, said the case will first be handled by the Ewing Township Police and then will be referred to the All College Discipline Board for a possible hearing.
Perry said that, as of now, the College has not begun a formal investigation into the case. The township has requested that the College not use any disciplinary action until the case is handled by the township police.
“The school and the community were both affected and should therefore take action together to show that the are just as disgusted by this act as we all are.” Michelle Dunlap, freshman communications and history major, said.
