Crime off VWC campus

Faculty, staff and students received a campus advisory from Leo Therrien, Director of Campus Security, in regards to crime in the Campus East area. The advisory stated that the security office had been informed by the Virginia Beach Police Department that a group of juveniles had formed a gang, self-named “NOW,” and was operating around Baker Road and other surrounding neighborhoods.

Included in the advisory was that the gang was allegedly responsible for a homicide committed on Aug. 29 and a burglary to a local convenience store on Sept. 2.

On Aug. 29, Campus East was the location of a fatal double shooting. It was reported in the Hampton Roads section of The Virginian-Pilot that one Navy man was killed and another was seriously injured. John J. Hill, was taken to the trauma center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital where he died from gunshot wounds. Willie Crawford was taken to the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center and has survived the shooting.

However, on Sept. 14, the Wesleyan campus received a follow-up advisory in reference to the alleged gang activity. With further investigation, Captain Jack C. Moyers, commander of the third precinct of the Virginia Beach Police Department, informed campus security that the alleged gang activity did not occur near campus but in another jurisdiction. Therefore, the homicide and burglary that occurred near campus were most likely not crimes committed by the gang. There have been no suspects found in either crime.

According to Therrien, the events that were described did happen and were now in the hands of the local authorities. He also says that by law, the campus security office is required to send out these advisories to the campus community.

“Anytime we get any information from a reliable source and with compliance with the Cleary Act, we have to send a campus advisory,” said Therrien.

The hands of the authorities are very capable and should ease the fears of the VWC campus community. According to the home page of the third precinct of the Virginia Beach Police Department, they strive to “serve the community by answering calls for service and by pro-actively working to reduce crime, the fear of crime, and neighborhood decay through partnerships with residents, schools, Probation & Parole, Housing and Neighborhood Preservation, as well as many other private and government agencies.”

Therrien continued to say that the campus security office will continue to send advisories when informed of other occurrences such as crime or weather conditions that would affect the campus community.

The campus security office has hired 2 additional officers since the incidents occurred. This has resulted in an increase in night patrols “ensuring the citizens of the Wesleyan community are safe and secure.”

He suggests extra precautions for students leaving campus after dark such as traveling in pairs, keeping vehicle doors locked while in transit, staying alert and not going to areas that have been deemed as unsafe.

They should also be aware of not making themselves easy targets by carrying large amounts of money or purses. However, students should not feel alarmed or threatened to leave campus because of the recent occurrences.

“Crimes happen in many areas of the city. This one just happens to be close to us,” says Therrien. “You can’t stop living because something happened close to where you live and work.”

The Office of Community Service at VWC strives to educate the campus on becoming a better citizen to the community outside the confines of Smith Drive in order to aid in efforts to prevent such crimes. Since 1966, VWC has had close partnerships with neighborhoods along Baker Road and the Lake Edward community through programs such as Adopt-A-School partnership with Newtown Road Elementary School, National Night Out Support of Lake Edward Civic League, Student Teacher Placements, Land Lease for the Chesapeake Bay Academy and “a standing invitation to attend athletic and public cultural events on campus.”

According to Diane Hotaling, Director of Community Service, very few occurrences of major crimes have happened on the VWC campus.

However, the campus community has been an observer of the crime that happens in the community surrounding campus. Hotaling does not feel unsafe in the surrounding Lake Edward and Campus East areas.

“As a member of the area community for 19 years, I can tell you that on a whole, I feel as safe as I would in any neighborhood,” says Hotaling. “I am aware of the crime stats for this area and the root causes of some of it.”

In July 2003, it was reported that the possible root cause of the shooting of a teenager in the Campus East area was a money debt.

On August 6, Jon Frank, staff writer for The Virginian-Pilot, reported on the acquittal of a Newport News resident that was charged with the murder of 19-year-old Marcus E. Bishop.

The fatal shooting occurred in the Campus East area on July 20, 2003. The jury found Michael Cleary not guilty of attempted robbery and a weapons violation.

According to the article, Cleary and two other men were charged with the death of Bishop.

During the three-day trial, it was said in testimony that the three men, Cleary, Jimmie L. Lamb III and Jermaine L. Woodson, had picked up Bishop in a vehicle driven by Lamb and was driving around his Campus East neighborhood surround VWC.

There were allegations that Bishop owed Woodson money and was shot while in the car. He escaped from the car and went home where his parents called 911.

Lamb went on trial shortly after the acquittal of Cleary for the same three charges.

Woodson refuses to talk to police. In a follow-up article on August 11, Frank reported that prosecutors withdrew the murder charge against Lamb. According to the article, “no one is currently charged with or convicted of the killing.”

Hotaling goes on to say that Instead of complaining about these problems in the areas surrounding campus, she suggests becoming an active citizen and being involved in community life.

“I have urged our campus to be proactive in the community, seriously investing human capital in making a difference,” said Hotaling “We have had some effect through community service and there are miles to go.”

Hotaling says that an improvement in the efforts to “strengthen campus-community connections,” the Virginia Beach Housing and Neighborhood Preservation Office has been invited to have an office on campus in February 2004.