Damaged vehicles, theft keep security busy
JUSTIN COMBS
Senior Writer
seniorwriter@occc.edu
High winds apparently caused a parking lot light fixture to fall from a 60-foot pole March 5, scattering shards of glass on a vehicle below, according to an incident report.
The accident happened in parking lot B, said Safety and Security Officer Tanya Vroenen.
According to the report, glass fragments were spread over six parking spots.
Chris Snow and Gary Belcher, Facilities Management employees, arrived on the scene to assist Vroenen with setting up barricades and caution tape.
While cleaning the glass from the ground, workers found the bulb fixture, which appeared to have exploded, causing the glass cover to explode as well, according to the report.
The campus security office contacted Jay Sheldon, the owner of the vehicle, to inform him of the damage.
According to the report, the top and hood of Sheldon’s Chevy Aveo were covered in dents and scratches where the glass from the light cover had hit the vehicle.
The National Weather Service reported winds from the south at 25 mph, gusting up to 33 mph that day, according to the report.
The same day, Vroenen responded to a hit-and-run accident in parking lot A.
Jacob Taylor, the owner of the damaged vehicle, told Vroenen the driver-side rear bumper of his 2002 Chevy Silverado had been damaged, according to the report.
The damage to his bumper was six to nine inches in length and one-half to one inch deep, and appeared to be from another bumper, the report stated.
Sgt. Larry Lundy reviewed video footage of the area where Taylor parked and found a silver or gray SUV had backed into Taylor’s vehicle.
The occupants of the SUV got out of their vehicle and looked at their back bumper then left the property.
On March 2, Jenifer Pate reported to the Safety and Security office her metallic blue iPod Nano had been stolen from the women’s locker room while she showered after her workout. The value was estimated at $150.
Lundy reviewed video of the area from the time Pate entered and left the locker room. He said he discovered footage of four other women leaving the locker room, but none appeared to have Pate’s property in her possession.
On Feb. 24, Officer Chad Clingman responded to a student’s complaint that his credit card was stolen in the Wellness Center gym.
Josh Vanover said he arrived at 6:30 p.m. to the gym to play basketball and placed his belongings in the middle cubbyhole to the far right in the gym.
Vanover said as he was leaving he noticed his cell phone was missing.
He said he checked his wallet to discover his credit card was missing as well.
Sgt. Kevin Tipton reviewed video of the area while Vanover called his bank to see if any charges had been made on his card, which none had.
Vanover said he would check back with campus security at a later time.
