Midd Police investigate mugging Police direct campus investigation

Author: Katie Flagg

At approximately 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a female student was accosted near the northeast entrance of Stewart Hall. An unidentified male grabbed her shoulder bag and dragged her a few feet in the snow while she resisted his attack before fleeing on foot toward Old Chapel Road. A few hours later, another Middlebury student reported his vehicle stolen from Old Chapel Road.

The suspect is described as approximately 5'4", slender and high-school aged. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a white baseball cap with the hood pulled up over the hat at the time of the attack.

Both incidents were reported to the Middlebury Police Department. "It's [the Police Department's] investigation," said Melody Perkins, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety. "Once we call the police in, it's turned over to them."

Middlebury Police Chief Tom Hanley confirmed that the town police department is the investigating agency, but noted that the department will be functioning off-campus in conducting their investigation. "There's no need for us to be on campus right now," said Hanley. "We've interviewed the person involved. We're just conducting a follow-up investigation."

Middlebury Police are also investigating an incident that occurred earlier on Monday involving a male suspect of a similar description. "We're not going to say at this time that they're definitely related," said Hanley of the campus and town incidents, stressing that making that connection would be a premature assumption.

While both Public Safety and Middlebury police have interviewed the victim, there are currently no plans to release a composite sketch of the suspect.

Both departments stress the importance of constant vigilance in avoiding similar situations. "This is not a common occurrence on campus," said Perkins. "It's an unusual situation. But we encourage students always to be aware that, although Middlebury College is safe, they should be vigilant."

"I don't want to tell people that they can't travel alone - that would be too draconian," said Hanley. "[Students] should just be aware of their surroundings and keep their eyes open."

Perkins noted that Middlebury's atmosphere presents certain challenges in preventing similar crimes. "There's nothing in this case that this young woman could have done differently," Perkins said. "She didn't anticipate a problem and she shouldn't have."

On the College's campus, Perkins said, students often encounter others at late hours. Such encounters are routine and hardly cause for concern. "People out and about at night is not an uncommon occurrence," Perkins said.

As a result, situations that might rouse concern off campus are often dismissed as harmless, and "within this community, students tend to feel safe."

Perkins emphasized the benefits of this comfortable environment, but acknowledged that this environment "allows people who have wrongdoing on their minds to go undetected."

Perkins recommended that, in addition to remaining vigilant, students should try to avoid walking alone at night.

"If someone feels a real concern for safety, they can call for the Public Safety office and we can try to help a student who is concerned about their safety," said Perkins. But she noted that, as there are more students than there are Public Safety officers, students should look to walk in pairs when traveling at night.

Although Tuesday morning's incidents were not room intrusions, Public Safety also renewed now-familiar reminders to keep personal doors locked and maintain responsibility for personal safety.

Any students with information regarding any of the recent crimes on campus are strongly encouraged to contact the Department of Public Safety or the Middlebury Police Department.