Staff at Campus Security can now rest easer, after the man who made over 600 harassing phone calls in four years entered into a Peace Bond.
"We have been working with investigating officers from Edmonton and documenting every incident," said Campus Security Manager Lanny Fritz.
The man, a former University of Calgary student, was given non-academic misconduct and suspended in 1999. He made the harassing calls from Europe, Ontario and recently Edmonton where he subsequently lived. Fortunately, Fritz said that calls have stopped since the court imposed a Peace Bond in late 2002.
In unrelated incidents, Campus Security was busy with a number of incidents thoughout January.
A staff person in the Education Tower was careless after leaving a muffin heating up unattended in the microwave for two minutes.
"The muffin turned into an ordinary combustible, which caused the fire," said Fritz.
As a result, smoke filled part of the floor and Safety Services responded.
In addition to this incident, officers came across two SAIT students and one non-student holding a pop bottle that was smoking. In essence, they were in possession of a small explosive device containing water and dry ice, which was stolen from an insecure area in Earth Sciences. They claimed the location of the dry ice was common knowledge and were banned from campus for a year, while the dry ice has been secured.
In Health Sciences, officers responded to a call of an individual barricaded within a room.
"He was an individual who was treated for injuries at the Foothills Hospital from a fight the night before," said Fritz.
After officers pushed open the door, the man was found to be asleep on a gurney mattress. He had a head wound, wearing a hospital bracelet and seemed disoriented after being woken up. He apologized, saying he felt sick and just wanted to sleep. Officers helped return him to the hospital.
On a routine patrol, a security officer noticed a car stopped halfway on the median in the opposite direction on University Drive. When he approached, he noticed the man slumped over his seat. When questioned, the man’s speech was slurred and appeared lethargic. Luckily, the officer noticed his medical alert bracelet and learned that the man was insulin dependent. EMS was called, administered sugar and helped raise his blood sugar levels until the man became coherent.
The most interesting event occurred on Tue., Jan. 28, when two Safewalkers noticed a suspicious event around 10 p.m. They saw three males push a concrete bench through a window in the Bookstore.
Fritz commends on the excellent work on the Safewalkers, Laura Sydenhan and Kevin Hallat.
"They did all the right things: observed the incident, didn’t panic or take matters into their hands," said Fritz. "They immediately notified the Campus Security dispatcher, relayed a description and a direction of travel, and Campus Security officers made an apprehension shortly after."
With their description, Campus Security tracked the suspects with their CCTV camera system and caught up to them in Lot 13. They were found to be under the influence of alcohol, with a bottle of Jack Daniel in possession. Police was called, and the suspects were criminally charged. Damage to the window was valued $1000, which the suspects will have to repay.