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Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 6:23 p.m.

University prepares for Halloween misconduct

by Gabrielle Bluestone

As students gear up for tricks and treats on Halloween, the University is taking special proactive measures – the holiday is a peak time for student misconduct, the director of Student Judicial Services said.

Tara Pereira, assistant dean of students and the head of SJS, said that her office can identify certain peak times when students misbehave by tracking calls to the Community Concern Hotline, and that the University has prepared countermeasures for unruly students on Saturday.

“The George Washington University has once again engaged in proactive planning to address the upcoming events of Halloween. Especially with the holiday falling on a Saturday this year, we have redoubled our efforts,” Pereira said.

Pereira said the University is coordinating with the Metropolitan Police Department, and “just a few of the steps being taken to curb inappropriate behavior,” include an additional University Police Department presence and Neighborhood Action Team patrols. The University will also provide alternative activities on campus and has educated students and housing staff, Pereira said.

Michael Akin, executive director of international, government and community affairs, said that the holiday draws increased occurrences of misconduct.

“Halloween is a time when we expect increased activity,” Akin said. “Each year we undertake a number of efforts to proactively address these issues.”

Pereira said neighbors have also been encouraged to report any misconduct to the hotline.

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Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 12:02 a.m.

Friends report GW senior missing; MPD launches missing persons investigation

by Sarah Scire

Update at 2:23 a.m.

Royal Gethers

Royal Gethers

City and University police have launched a missing persons investigation for GW student Royal Gethers after friends reported that the senior has been missing since just before 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

Lt. Ralph Neal of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District, which includes Foggy Bottom, confirmed MPD is investigating the report as a missing persons case. Neal said the case is currently “non-critical” and that investigations are designated as critical only when the missing person is very young, very old, or has a mental or medical condition.

As of press time, University Police Chief Dolores Stafford had not returned requests for comment.

Former student Monet Flowers said Gethers walked her and a friend to South Hall early Saturday morning, and Gethers told her he was returning to his 1959 E Street residence hall. Flowers said UPD told her that Gethers’ GWorld was swiped into 1959 E Street at 1:59 a.m. but Flowers said his roommates, who were home and awake at the time, did not see him come in.

When Gethers did not show up to an event at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, Flowers said she knew something was wrong.

“I could possibly see him sleeping in – but I couldn’t see him not texting me and apologizing,” Flowers said. She said she went to his room later that day and his City and University police have launched a missing persons investigation for GW student Royal Gethers after friends reported that the senior has been missing since just before 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

Lt. Ralph Neal of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District, which includes Foggy Bottom, confirmed MPD is investigating the report as a missing persons case. Neal said the case is currently “non-critical” and that investigations are designated as critical only when the missing person is very young, very old, or has a mental or medical condition.

As of press time, University Police Chief Dolores Stafford had not returned requests for comment.

Former student Monet Flowers said Gethers walked her and a friend to South Hall early Saturday morning, and Gethers told her he was returning to his 1959 E Street residence hall. Flowers said UPD told her that Gethers’ GWorld was swiped into 1959 E Street at 1:59 a.m. but Flowers said his roommates, who were home and awake at the time, did not see him come in.

When Gethers did not show up to an event at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, Flowers said she knew something was wrong.

“I could possibly see him sleeping in – but I couldn’t see him not texting me and apologizing,” Flowers said. She said she went to his room later that day and his roommates said Gethers had not returned home.

“That’s when I got scared,” Flowers said, adding she reported Gethers missing to UPD first on Saturday and again to MPD on Sunday afternoon.

Flowers said Gethers was wearing “a tan hoodie, light blue jeans and white Air Force sneakers.” He is African American, 22 years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall and 180 pounds.

Ally Petrilla, who graduated from the University in May and is helping to coordinate the search for Gethers, said their tight-knit group of friends is worried and scared, especially because being out of contact is out of character for Gethers.

“That’s why people are so upset – he’s not irresponsible at all,” she said. “We have contacted hospitals, even morgues, everything in a 30-mile radius.”

She added, “We have people going to his classes tomorrow, hoping that he just shows up there.”

Flowers described Gethers as “meticulous” and said he keeps his receipts organized by date and time and his prized hat collection in plastic bags. After seeing his room, she said she thinks Gethers did not return home or decide to go away for the weekend.

“I can tell you two things about Royal: he can eat and he would not leave without his hat,” she said.

Flowers said students and friends are posting flyers and are using social media in an attempt to find Gethers.

“He’s like our brother. We are all from different states and we are the closest thing we have to family in D.C.,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can think of.”

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Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009 10:23 a.m.

Two freshmen charged with separate marijuana-related crimes

by Gabrielle Bluestone

Two freshmen have been charged with separate marijuana-related crimes and may face trial.

Simon Abrahms, 18, was charged last month with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia – both misdemeanors – according to court documents.

Abrahms was arrested Sept. 8 after University Police Department officers responded to a report of a suspicious odor in his Thurston Hall room. An administrative search of the room allegedly revealed marijuana, scales, plastic bags, large amounts of money and drug paraphernalia, according to a Metropolitan Police Department report of the incident.

Abrahms has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Neither he nor his lawyer, Barry Coburn, could be reached for comment.

In a separate matter, Brennan Hutson, 19, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance – also a misdemeanor. Hutson was arrested Sept. 3 after UPD officers allegedly discovered him and two other males smoking marijuana in Kogan Plaza. Police searched him and allegedly discovered a “medium size baggie containing 5 small zip lock bags and loose green leafy substance,” according to charging documents.

Hutson also pleaded not guilty to the charges, and could not be reached for comment.

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Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009 5:01 p.m.

Elderly man robbed outside Safeway in the Watergate

by Gabrielle Bluestone

An elderly man was robbed of $800 outside the Safeway supermarket in the Watergate Complex last week after he left the store with his groceries.

The 87-year-old told Metropolitan Police that he had been coming up on the escalator that connects the lower level of the complex, where several shops are located, when the incident occurred. According to the report, he was on the escalator with bags in each of his hands when the man in front of him “stopped, abruptly blocking the exit of the escalator and said that he had dropped his watch and needed to look for it.”

The victim told the man to move, but ran into him at the top of the escalator because there was no room to go around him. The victim was knocked backwards onto a second man who was riding the escalator behind him. The second man helped steady him and then quickly left the area, walking west on Virginia Avenue, according to the report.

The victim realized later that his alligator skin wallet had been stolen from his left front pocket where he had put it after he paid for his groceries. Three credit cards, $800 in cash and a drivers license were reported missing.

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Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 2:48 p.m.

Suspicious suitcase closes off large swath of campus

by Gabrielle Bluestone

5:21 p.m. The Metropolitan Police Department closed 23rd Street for two hours Tuesday due to a report of a suspicious package near Fulbright Hall.

The package was a “brown luggage bag,” left on a bench outside the residence hall, said David Sanchez, a construction worker who was on campus working at The School Without Walls. He said he went to the benches at 23rd and H streets for lunch and saw the bag, which had a “folded-up letter” attached to it. Sanchez said a University Police Department officer asked him if the bag was his or if he had seen who left it there, and when he said no, asked him to leave the scene.

The bag was discovered at 1:30 p.m. and MPD was immediately notified, said University Spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard.

Fulbright Hall and Building K were evacuated, Sherrard said, and several buildings around the scene – including Amsterdam Hall and Funger Hall – were blocked off. The Foggy Bottom Metro station was also closed with yellow caution tape, and Metro Transit police helped guard the borders of the street closures.

“There may have been minimal interruption to classes,” Sherrard said. “There may have been access issues in surrounding areas.”

Though there were students in class in Funger Hall, a UPD officer stood outside and blocked additional students from entering. Students reported similar activity at Amsterdam Hall.

“Obviously we’re all flexible, but I’m encouraged by the University making sure that student safety is first,” said Mike Zeliff, a professor of international business. “Ultimately if they are over-reacting, it’s on behalf of safety. I can wait a few minutes for that.”

Street closures included 23rd Street between G and I streets, as well as I Street between 21st and 23rd streets and H Street from 22nd to 24th streets. Access to Washington Circle was also suspended.

Trains were still passing through but not stopping at the Metro station while it was closed, according to a Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority news release. Kenny Bryson, a spokesman for MPD, said that he didn’t think the package was related to the Metro, but that if a station is “in close proximity, for safety concerns they will sometimes block it off.”

University Police Chief Dolores Stafford declined to answer questions about the incident.

D.C. Fire and Emergency Services, the MPD bomb squad and the MPD K-9 squad were also on-scene.

A Metro bus was parked on the side of the road within the police barricades. The driver said that he had been headed towards Friendship Heights, when an MPD officer told him to pull over and “secure the bus,” due to a bomb scare. The driver, who said he had “never seen anything like this before,” had to wait outside the barricades for the investigation to end.

G Street between 22nd and 23rd Streets was briefly closed after an unattended messenger bag was left outside of the Smith Center, but the bag was claimed by a Smith Center employee and the street was reopened.

At The School Without Walls, two buses were held.

“We were going to the metro and they said ‘Everybody get out, run,’” said Kenneth James, a SWW student. “I was like ‘woah what’s going on?’ ”

The scene was cleared around 3:38 p.m. with no hazardous materials found, MPD officer Quintin Peterson said.

The package outside of Fulbright was the second suspicious package investigated in downtown D.C. on Tuesday. Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th Street and Constitution Avenue was closed after someone deposited Petri dishes in the night deposit at a Wachovia Bank on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Matt Rist and Lauren French contributed to this report.

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Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009 8:04 p.m.

Woman arrested in Ivory Tower

by Emily Cahn

Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested a woman Sunday evening after a student accused her of entering a room in Ivory Tower and stealing a wallet.

Sophomore Lindsey Henry was taking a nap in a friend’s room in Ivory Tower residence hall when she woke up to an unknown woman standing by her friend’s desk.

“We said ‘Excuse me, can I help you?’ She told us she was helping move someone in,” said Henry. “We asked her to leave.”

Later, Henry’s friend realized a wallet had been stolen from the room and called the University Police Department to report the incident. Henry later helped identify the woman and she was taken into custody by UPD officers.

“It was kind of unreal,” Henry said. “It’s one of those things where I am more in shock than anything else, waking up to someone in the room.”

Another student at the scene of the arrest, who requested anonymity, said he had a computer, wallet and sunglasses stolen from his Ivory Tower room on Saturday.

University Police Chief Dolores Stafford was not immediately available for comment. UPD and MPD officers on the scene declined to comment.

Update, 5:07 p.m., Aug. 24

There have been 12 burglaries reported in residence halls since Aug. 12, according to a GW Infomail. UPD said it is launching an investigation to determine if the incidents are connected.


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Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009 1:18 p.m.

Man attacked with club on New Hampshire Avenue

by Gabrielle Bluestone

A 27-year-old man was attacked by a club-wielding assailant on New Hampshire Avenue outside of a 7-Eleven store last month, according to a Metropolitan Police incident report.

The victim was in front of the store at 6:45 p.m. on July 24 when a 31-year-old male threatened him. The victim reported that the attacker stated, “He’s not going anywhere,” and opened a 23-inch, black, expandable baton in a threatening manner.

The victim suffered a laceration to his forehead and an abrasion to his right elbow and right knee, but refused treatment. The attacker, who was placed under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon, suffered a small laceration to his forehead and was transported to the United Medical Center.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009 5:54 p.m.

Boy robbed by armed juveniles on Pennsylvania Avenue, MPD report says

by Gabrielle Bluestone

Three males who appeared to be juveniles robbed a 15-year-old boy on Pennsylvania Avenue near 26th Street last Wednesday, according to a Metropolitan Police Department report.

The alleged victim was walking on the street at 6 p.m. when the three males approached him, according to the report. One of the males asked him, “What do you have in your pockets?” and lifted his shirt to reveal a black handgun, the report states. The victim gave him $5 and the three males ran south down 26th Street.

MPD is trying to crack down on robberies in the Foggy Bottom area, where 16 violent crimes have occurred since May 16, according to data from the MPD crime map Web site. At an Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A meeting earlier this month, MPD’s Sgt. Dustin Nevel said many of the robberies occur during the evening rush hour from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and that Pennsylvania Avenue is a popular spot because of its proximity to the Foggy Bottom Metro station.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009 3:28 p.m.

HellWell hazmat incident shuts down 23rd Street, G Street

by Gabrielle Bluestone
The Lerner Health and Wellness Center was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a hazardous materials incident.

The Lerner Health and Wellness Center was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a hazardous materials incident. Andrew Nacin/Hatchet photographer

The Lerner Health and Wellness Center was evacuated Wednesday afternoon due to a chlorine spill, shutting down 23rd and G streets. A University Police Department officer was taken to GW Hospital after inhaling chlorine gas, a D.C. Fire Department officer said.

The s incident occurred after a contractor accidentally sprayed chlorine on an electrical panel, causing a cloud, fire department Battalion Chief Wayne Benson said. A UPD officer who responded to the scene inhaled that cloud, which creates hydrochloric acid upon contact with the lung’s moisture, Benson said.

“That caused the fire alarm in the building to go off, and it appears that one of GW’s security guards went up to investigate,” Benson said. “When he opened the door to that room, he inhaled some of the smoke.”

The fire department then went into the building and found that the chlorine levels were not dangerous, using meters to gauge the levels, Benson said. Firefighters diluted and ventilated the area, and the building should be open later today.

Update, 4:00 p.m.

The contractor had been filling two 100-gallon chlorine tanks for the pool when an overspray hit the electrical panel and caused a small flashfire, fire department spokesperson Pete Piringer said. The UPD officer who inhaled chlorine  was treated by paramedics on the scene and given oxygen before being transported to GW Hospital. His injuries were serious but not life-threatening, Piringer said.

Update, 5:22 p.m.

The building has been reopened.

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Monday, July 20, 2009 9:28 p.m.

Two arrested for theft at 2000 Penn building

by Gabrielle Bluestone

Two men were arrested earlier this month for allegedly attempting to steal $1,500 worth of copper pipes and wiring from the GW-owned Shops at 2000 Penn building.

The two men pried open the door to a storage room in the building and loaded the pipes and wires onto a brown 1992 Ford pickup truck, according to the Metropolitan Police Department report of the incident.

One of the two men worked as a subcontractor at the building, but had returned to the building after his shift on July 10, according to the report.

The men, who are both from Virginia, were discovered after a witness at the loading dock who knew “no one should be taking materials from the location,” saw them loading the materials onto the truck, according to court documents.

Both men have been charged with second degree theft, according to court documents.

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