Police Beat: Summer Highlights

By Justin Toney

May 6- at 4 p.m., Director of Belmont Estates Gary Melcher reported that keys including the key to Belmont were taken from a broken-into vehicle at Aquia Park in Stafford County. The keys were not recovered.

May 8- at 6:00 p.m., “Smoke,” “Penalty” and “Psycho” tagged property in the Sunken road parking lots. UMW police, in conjunction with the Fredericksburg Police Department identified the two 15-year-old Fredericksburg residents responsible. They were referred to the Juvenile Probation Office, and are being made to pay $375 in restitution.

May 10- at 12:30 p.m., an individual turned in a purse found at Chandler Hall. A 42-year-old New York resident identified herself as the owner. She reported that her keys, credit card and approximately $400 in cash were missing. The next day, she told police that all of the items except for the cash were found at her hotel room.

May 31- at 7:20 a.m., officers found unintelligible graffiti on the Project Building at Sunken Road. The individual responsible was identified, but no charges have yet been made.

June 5- at 4:56 p.m., an employee claimed to have seen a rabid raccoon near Tyler House. The “extremely large” animal reportedly growled at passersby. Another witnessed said that it was just a normal raccoon. When police arrived, the raccoon had fled the scene. There are no suspects.

June 11- at 8:00 a.m., a 19-year-old male UMW Apartments resident reported that both of his bike tires, valued at $100, were stolen off of his bicycle between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. the previous day. There are no suspects or witnesses, and the case is still under investigation.

June 20- at 1:00 p.m., a 19-year-old male Apartments resident reported injuring his hand at 12:45 a.m. by punching a window while intoxicated. The student was referred to Residence Life for both damages and intoxication.

June 23- at 8:33 a.m., police found evidence of an attempted break-in to a storage building at the women’s softball field. The door lock and handle were both destroyed, resulting in $325 in damages. The culprits had not gained entry into the building. There are no suspects or witnesses, and the case is still under investigation.

June 25- between 4:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., a 44-year-old female UMW employee reported that her purse containing $365 of cash and property had been stolen from her vehicle. She had left the purse in her unlocked vehicle with the windows down. Her credit cards have not been used after the incident. Investigations are ongoing.

June 26- at 12:20 p.m., a 20-year-old female summer student reported that a man assaulted her on a bench in front of Trinkle Hall. The assailant sat next to the student and started making conversation. When she got up to leave, he stood and kissed her on the head. Andre Lamar Horner was found on campus walk and charged with assault and battery. The 40-year-old Centerville resident was released from Rappahannock Regional Jail on a $2500 bond.

July 2- at 3:50 p.m., a female University employee at the College of Graduate and Professional Studies campus reported that her estranged husband harassed her at work over a document. Timothy D. Harlaux hung up the phone as she attempted to call the police when the confrontation became too heated. After fleeing the office, she dialed 911. Stafford County police arrived and notified UMW police. The woman obtained an emergency protective warrant against Harlaux as well as a warrant for interfering with an emergency call.

July 4- at 1:26 p.m., UMW police received a call of a possible car crash on Sunken Road near the parking deck. UMW police arrived to find Fredericksburg police already on the scene of a single-vehicle accident. A 2006 Dodge Charger had sped through a ditch, jumped over a concrete embankment, flattened a light post and had been abandoned on the field construction area. Fredericksburg police located 19-year-old driver Michael McPherson II in the city. McPherson, who left his wallet in the car, was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol.

July 9- at 5:54 p.m., an officer eating a late breakfast at Seacobeck Hall was informed that a student in another room had passed out and hit her head on a table. The 18-year-old female Summer Transition student was conscious when the officer arrived. She said that she had donated blood earlier in the day, and refused medical assistance. The officer drove her back to her on-campus apartment.

May 2- at 2:30 a.m., a 20-year-old male student reported his license plates stolen from his vehicle on Hanover Street. The tags were entered into a national database. There has been no further information.