Police Information Off-Campus Incident – From HPD Report 2007-002278
TIMELY NOTIFICATION BULLETIN
Possible Threat to the Community
"Your Right to Know"
January 11, 2007
In compliance with the "Timely Notice" provisions of the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998 the University Police are giving notice of a disturbing act of violence alleged to have occurred in the apartment and town house complex on the 1100 block of Devon Lane in the city of Harrisonburg, a short distance east of JMU’s on-campus Rockingham Hall student residence. JMU students predominate as residents of the aforementioned off-campus apartment and town house complex. According to the Harrisonburg Police Department, the alleged armed robbery was reported to have occurred at approximately 1:03a.m., early Thursday morning, January 11, 2007. The incident reportedly involved the use of firearms, force and intimidation. The occupants were allegedly robbed of personal items by the perpetrators from both their persons and their individual rooms.
REPORTED OFFENSES: Home Invasion Robbery consisting of a reported Armed Robbery and Burglary/Breaking & Entering. Of the three assailants, two reportedly brandished handguns.
SUSPECTS: Described as three African-American males, all reportedly wearing hoods and ski masks; approximately between 5’10” and 6’1” tall; between the ages of 17 and 21; wearing dark clothing. No other descriptive information was provided by the police.
The event: The unknown assailants broke into the victims’ apartment while they were still up and about. The victims were forced to lie on the floor while two of the three searched through their pockets, taking currency and personal items. Two of the subjects proceeded to rifle through the individual rooms while the third stood watch over the victims. After completing the search for and removal of items from the rooms the suspects bound and tied the victims before fleeing the apartment. The culprits left the area in an unknown direction by unknown means. The two victims were otherwise unharmed.
Harrisonburg Police spokesperson Lt. Kurt A. Boshart asked that anyone with information related to this event or the suspect, call Crime Solvers at 574-5050.
It can be assumed that conditions continue to exist that may pose a threat to members of the community. It is the duty of the institution to warn of possible "dangerous conditions" on or near its campus, and at affiliate organizations off campus; an "affirmative duty" exists to warn persons associated with this university of possible peril at the hands of some third party or parties.
Lt. Kurt A. Boshart, Public Information Officer for the Harrisonburg Police Department said that the Harrisonburg Police are still investigating the incident and searching for the suspects. Lt. Boshart asked that anyone with information related to this event or the suspect, call Crime Solvers at 574-5050 or contact the Harrisonburg Police by telephone at (540)434-2545; in person at the Harrisonburg Public Safety Building Street at the northwest corner of North Main and Elizabeth Streets or on the web at the HPD “Contact Us” site: http://www.harrisonburgpolice.com/Comments.htm. Alternative means of reporting to the JMU University Police are by e-mail publicsafety@jmu.edu, or, if you wish, anonymously through “Silent Witness,” at: http://www.jmu.edu/pubsafety/SilentWitness.shtml.
Lt. Boshart in his safety recommendations emphasizes the importance of being aware of one’s surroundings, security of residences and the development of good personal safety habits.
Please forward this notice to your colleagues and post it on appropriate bulletin boards in your area. If you have any information that might be helpful, forward it to the police.
Thank you.