Authorities Launch Investigation of Hadley Robbery and Assault

Author: Elizabeth Logue Managing Editor

The assault and robbery of a sophomore Hadley student prompted administrators at Middlebury College to mandate the locking of the exterior entrances to dormitories and college-owned houses. Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Director of Public Safety Elizabeth Boudah informed the College community yesterday afternoon in a campus-wide e-mail that the locking would commence in the evening, and would "continue … until further notice."

The College community was first alerted of the burglary via e-mail on Friday afternoon, which provided vague physical descriptions of the perpetrators who allegedly entered the victim's room "with a weapon, assaulted him and left with some property."

Following the attack, Boudah stated that the victim "locked his door and called Public Safety." The department first received the report at approximately 1:45 a.m. on Friday, at which point the Middlebury Police Department was notified.

According to Middlebury Police Department Sergeant Mike Christopher, who is overseeing the investigation, two men allegedly entered an unlocked second-floor Hadley room at approximately 1:30 a.m. Christopher stated that the victim, who was apparently asleep at the time of the break-in, told police and Public Safety officers that the men rummaged through the room, "struck him in the side of the head with a weapon … and stole a laptop computer and other miscellaneous items." Christopher indicated that there were no known witnesses to the attack and that the victim was alone in the room at the time.

The victim was taken to Porter Hospital, treated and released following the incident, said Boudah. Both she and Christopher declined to comment on the nature of the weapon that struck the victim, but said that he was not seriously injured.

Christopher acknowledged that while "incidents of [a violent] nature are not frequent," crimes of "burglary and larceny" are not uncommon in dormitories. "This seems to be somewhat isolated with respect to intensity," he said.

Christopher also noted that the investigation is addressing the question of why this particular student's room was targeted. "There are some peculiarities regarding this incident that we are very attentive to with respect to the motive behind them," he continued.

Despite rumors that the robbery may have been narcotics-related, both Christopher and Boudah said that at this point in the investigation, there was no evidence to substantiate these rumors.

Director of Public Affairs Phil Benoit said in an interview with The Middlebury Campus that the administration met yesterday morning about "what to do [in response to the robbery]," and confirmed that the decision was made "to begin securing the dorms more than was done in the past … for the immediate future," which he anticipated being at least "until the end of the semester."

Benoit said that this incident serves as proof that "we're not as secure as we had hoped." Boudah concurred, saying, "We are leaving ourselves open to possibilities if we don't lock the dormitories."

In addition to locking the exterior entrances, Boudah urged students to lock the doors to their rooms, "especially at night and anytime [students leave their] room."

While Boudah did not foresee a repeat incident of this nature happening again, she did advocate that students take precautions to ensure their own safety. "We do not want to make [students] overly concerned, but we want to make sure that we are aware of our surroundings." Boudah added that students should not hesitate to call Public Safety about "anything that seems suspicious."

Composite sketches of the two perpetrators released by the Middlebury Police Department include physical descriptions of each: the first assailant, approximately 5'9" and 145 lbs. is described as having a thin, jaw-outlined beard; the second is described as having an "acne or pockmarked scarred face," is also 5'9," with a slightly heavier build and "fading dyed blond hair." Both men are described as being high school or early college aged. Students with information specific to this incident, or tips on the whereabouts of the assailants should contact Public Safety or the Middlebury Police Department.