By Brielle Bryan
Opinions Editor
Student wines and dashes while an impostor trespasses
During the Homecoming tailgate on Oct. 21, at 2:30 p.m., Campus Police was flagged down by a Sodexo employee who was dispensing wine at one of the vending areas in Lot 4. The Sodexo employee reported that a tall white male wearing a white shirt that had a lot of yellow on it approached the table and asked how much the wine would cost, police said. As the Sodexo gave the male student prices, the male student quickly grabbed a 750 milliliter bottle of Indaba Chardonnay and ran away.
Campus Police circulated the area and noticed a male matching the description that the Sodexo employee provided. The male was also holding a 750 milliliter bottle of Indaba Chardonnay. Campus Police approached the male student, who appeared to be intoxicated and had the odor of alcohol on his breath. Campus Police asked the male student where he got the wine bottle. The male student stated that someone gave it to him, but he didn’t remember who. The male student was then escorted to the vending area where the Sodexo employee was dispensing alcohol, police said. The Sodexo employee looked at the male student and said that he was not the one who took the wine.
However, the male student readily admitted to drinking wine from the bottle in his possession during the Homecoming tailgate. The male student was issued a summons and charged with the possession and the consumption of alcoholic beverage by a minor, police said. The male student was advised several times to leave the event and to not return. The male student was also warned that if he returned, he would be charged with criminal trespass, which he acknowledged.
After a short while, Campus Police observed the male student back in Lot 4, after he was advised that he was prohibited from coming back, police said. The male student was placed under arrest and transported back to Campus Police Headquarters where he was processed, fingerprinted, photographed and charged with receiving stolen property and criminal trespass. The male student was given a copy of the complaint summons and a court date and was then released.
Student extorted with Skype video while blacked out
On Oct. 25, at 8:48 a.m., Campus Police was dispatched to Campus Police Headquarters on a report of a theft by extortion. Upon arrival, Campus Police met with a male student who stated that between 10:25 p.m. on Oct. 24 and 7:40 a.m. on Oct. 25, he blacked out. The male student said he had a medical condition and possibly took an incorrect dosage of medicine. Campus Police asked if he wanted medical attention, and the student stated that he did not.
According to the male student, at 7:40 a.m. on Oct. 25, he awoke from his blackout and told his roommate, “We need to go to class.” He then observed on his phone that he was communicating with a female through Facebook messenger, and while he was blacked out she friend requested him on Facebook and requested to have a sexual Skype video chat with him, police said. At approximately 1:31 a.m., the male student had obliged and was on camera. The female then requested $7,000 from the male student, or else she should would expose the recorded video of their sexual encounter on YouTube.
At 4:48 a.m, the male student explained to the female that he could not afford her request, and would only be able to afford $145. The male student provided Campus Police with two MoneyGram receipts, which showed a transfer of $145 with $9.99 service fee to Mali, Africa, police said. The transaction occurred between 6:51 a.m. and 6:53 a.m. in the 24-hour CVS in Hamilton, New Jersey. The female the male student interacted with on Skype had evidently listed a fake name from a fake account. The female was actually a scammer from Africa, according to police reports. Campus Police advised the male student to cut all contact with the female, and to advise the College’s IT, Facebook and YouTube account holders of the incident.
‘Space Snacks’ lead to arrest
On Oct. 21, at approximately 12:50 a.m., Campus Police was dispatched to Cromwell Hall on a report of an odor of a controlled dangerous substance. Upon arrival, Campus Police observed the door was open to the room where the substance was reported to be located. A community adviser was standing inside the room with three other female students, police said. A Campus Police officer asked the students if she could come in, and the resident of the room advised that she could.
Upon entering the room, the Campus Police officer observed an odor of a controlled dangerous substance, which she knew from her training and experience to be marijuana. The officer asked the student if she had been smoking in her room, and the student said, “Yes.” The officer asked where the items were that the female student was smoking were, and the student said that they were on the desk. The officer went to the desk and observed a pack of cigarettes lying on the table, with one of the cigarettes outside of the pack.
The officer told the female student that she also smelled an odor of marijuana and asked if there was any in the room. According to police reports, the female student replied, “not anymore.” The officer asked where the marijuana went and the student replied that it was a small amount and that she smoked it all. The female student advised that she was the only one that smoked the marijuana, and that the two other female students in the room were not involved, police said. The female student continued to advise the officer that her two friends that were in the room were only there because she had asked them to come over to hang out with her because she was feeling stressed.
Campus Police asked what the female student used to smoke the marijuana, and she advised that it was a glass bowl, police said. Campus Police asked where it was, and the student stated that it was on the desk. One of the officers advised that he did not see anything on the desk. The female student then pointed to a box that was filled with multiple items. The male officer went to the box and observed a multi-colored glass bowl, used for smoking marijuana, lying on a black bag. When the male officer picked up the bowl, he also observed a zip lock bag that had small pieces of a leafy green substance believed to be marijuana, police said.
The female officer asked the student if that was the bowl that the female student had smoked out of, and the student confirmed that it was. The male officer also asked if the bag he found had contained the marijuana that she smoked, and the female student advised that it did. Campus Police asked if the female student had any other controlled dangerous substances in the room, and she stated that she did not and that they could check the room if they wanted, police said.
After looking back at the box the bowl was found in, the male officer noticed that the bag the bowl was lying on contained another glass bowl. When he picked up the bag, he found more paraphernalia, which included two empty plastic bags and two small square shaped bags. Both small bags were labeled “Space Snacks,” and had a warning written on them advising that the bag contained gummies infused with THC, police said. One bag was empty, and the other contained part of a yellow gummy. At this time, Campus Police asked the other two female students if they had smoked marijuana as well, and they stated they did not. Campus Police asked the two female students to leave and return to their own dorms, and they complied.
Campus Police advised the female student that she would be placed under arrest and transported to Campus Police Headquarters for processing. At Campus Police Headquarters, the female student was processed and given a summons for being in possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use. The female student was advised of a court date and escorted back to Cromwell Hall at 2:17 a.m.
Campus Police wakes sleeping drunk
On Oct. 22, at approximately 1:50 a.m., Campus Police was dispatched to the third floor of Townhouse South on a report of an unconscious male. Upon arrival, Campus Police observed a male student lying on the bathroom floor, police said. Campus Police entered the bathroom and observed that the male student was breathing, but unconscious. Campus Police attempted to wake the male student by shaking him, but this produced negative results.
After pinching the male student’s left arm multiple times, the male student woke up and became alert. Campus Police walked the male student to a chair in the hallway and sat him down. Campus Police asked the male student if he had been drinking alcohol, and he stated that he had. Campus Police asked the male student how much he had to drink, and he replied, “a lot.” Campus Police asked the male student exactly how much he had to drink, and he stated that he had approximately three cups of beer, police said. Campus Police asked the male student where he was drinking, and he advised that he was at a house in Ewing.
TCNJ EMS arrived on scene and assumed medical care. TCNJ EMS began asking the male student preliminary questions, which he answered correctly, police said. TCNJ EMS advised that the male student was able to refuse further medical assistance, which he did. Campus Police explained to the student the legal consequences of his actions, and advised him that he will not be receiving a summons because he qualified for protection under the New Jersey Lifeline Legislation.
Anyone with information can contact Campus Police at (609)- 771 2345.
