By Raquel Sosa-Sanchez
Columnist
Students receive court summons for marijuana possession
On March 30 at approximately 8:37 p.m., Campus Police was dispatched to a campus residence hall on account of suspected drug use.
Upon arrival at approximately 8:40 p.m., officers immediately noticed the odor of marijuana emanating from one of the rooms in the residence hall. Campus Police proceeded to knock on the door and was met with two students, whom the officers perceived to be visibly nervous.
Campus Police proceeded to question the students, asking if they had been smoking marijuana, to which one of the students responded affirmatively.
The same student proceeded to state that he had a marijuana vape pen on top of the bureau inside of the room. The pen appeared to contain a brown liquid substance that appeared to be THC oil.
At approximately 8:44 p.m., the student was placed under arrest and secured in handcuffs. Campus Police then proceeded to search the other student with negative results.
Officers searched the room and found a glass bowl containing a black tar-like substance believed to be marijuana resin. The other student was then placed under arrest and secured in handcuffs.
At approximately 8:52 p.m., Campus Police transported the suspects to its headquarters in marked patrol vehicles without incident. Upon arrival at approximately 9:08 p.m., the suspects were read the Uniform Mercer County Rights Form and both students opted not to waive their rights.
Both were processed and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana under 50 grams. Upon further search while processing, Campus Police discovered fraudulent Connecticut driver’s licenses belonging to both suspects. They were then both charged with possession of false identification.
The students were then given first appearance notice forms for the Superior Court of New Jersey in addition to their respective complaint summonses.
Bias incident occurs in residence hall
On March 31, at approximately 7:35 p.m., Campus Police responded to the third floor of a residence hall on the report of a “bias incident.”
Upon arrival, officers met with faculty of the building and observed an unapproved poster that was hung on a bulletin board in the hall. The poster read, “I don’t trust something that bleeds for 30 days and doesn’t die.”
A faculty member said that the poster contained information in reference to the month of March being Women’s History Month.
The faculty member also said that she had received a message in a GroupMe chat of the residents on the floor that advised her of the poster prior to calling Campus Police. The student who advised the faculty member spoke with Campus Police and stated she did not know how long the poster had been there. She said that she had only just seen it while throwing out her trash.
Faculty told Campus Police that a floor meeting would be held regarding the incident. Campus Police took photos of the poster and advised faculty to contact its headquarters with any updates. The case remains open.
Multiple thefts occur in Fitness Center
On April 2 at approximately 4 p.m., Campus Police was contacted on account of theft. The victim stated that he was using Campus Town Fitness Center facilities between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. and had left his wallet wrapped in a hoodie in an unlocked locker in the men’s locker room.
He advised that when he returned at approximately 3:30 p.m., he found that $190 in cash had been taken from his wallet. He stated that he spoke with Fitness Center staff, who advised him that they were not responsible for unsecured items.
On April 3 at approximately 12:15 p.m., Campus Police was contacted on account of theft of personal property in the men’s locker room of the fitness center.
The student reported that between 10:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on April 2, someone had removed a soccer jersey from his duffel bag in the men’s locker room. He advised Campus Police that his duffel bag was in a locker and not locked. A search of the area was immediately conducted and yielded negative results.
Campus Police strongly recommend that students and faculty secure their property in public spaces with key or combination locks. The case remains open.
Vandalism occurs on campus
On April 4 at approximately 7:50 p.m., Campus Police responded to an incident that had occurred at the “Graveyard of the Innocents” display near the large display board between the Brower Student Center and Green Hall.
Upon arrival, Campus Police met with College students who advised that they were members of the TCNJ Students for Life organization and that three of the signs from their display had been vandalized.
One of the students stated that another member of the organization found the signs and informed him of the incident.
Upon further inspection of the vandalized signs, Campus Police observed that they appeared to have been stepped on and had coffee poured on them. The students also advised Campus Police that the metal H-shaped sign holders had been taken from the signs as well.
However, none of the red or blue flags on the display had been tampered with in any way. Campus Police contacted dispatch to review security footage, which yielded no results. The case remains open.
