Man allegedly assaulted by group in campus building

By Kaleigh Maher, news editor
Posted on November 12, 2007

JMU campus police are conducting an investigation into an alleged break-in and suspicious persons found in Jackson Hall two weeks ago.

The daily police incident reports, located on the JMU Public Safety Web site, reported a “delayed third party report of suspicious activity in area of Jackson Hall,” on Oct. 30. The date and time of the incident were listed as Oct. 28 between 6:45 and 8 a.m.

Campus police have refused to comment on the incident, instead referring all questions to university spokesman Don Egle.

“The action up to this point that the university has taken has been done entirely in an appropriate manner,” Egle said. “We just need to let the investigation take place. We’ve got a lot of really good people that do a really good work and handle themselves in a responsible manner.”

Although a “timely notification” has not been issued to students, some faculty have sent e-mails to their colleagues.

In an e-mail from David Jeffrey, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, he stated a custodian was accosted by “thugs” sleeping in room 104 of Jackson Hall. The e-mail also said the custodian alleges that one individual had a gun and another took his picture “as a retaliatory gesture.” Jeffrey said the janitor alleges they left through an open window.

Egle said there were a number of factors involved in determining whether or not a “timely notice” was necessary.

“With this case, along with information police knew early on in the investigation, it did not warrant or require a timely notification,” he said.

Another factor involved in the decision was the nature in which the information came to the authorities’ attention.

“The alleged incident was reported by a third party, and it was reported approximately 28 hours after the incident allegedly took place,” Egle said.

Building coordinator and history department head Michael Galgano also sent an e-mail to his staff stating a custodian found six or seven strangers sleeping in a room, one of whom had a gun, according to WHSV TV.

Egle said he is aware of numerous stories of the incident being recounted on campus. 

“There’s a number of things that were allegedly reported,” Egle said.

History professor Mike Gubser works in Jackson Hall and received Galgano’s e-mail.

“First thing was that I was surprised to see what had happened,” he said, adding that he then began wondering what would happen next since he sometimes works in Jackson Hall on the weekends.

“I think for now, what I understand is that people like me need to pay attention that they lock up behind them,” he said.

Gubser said he knows the custodian who witnessed the alleged incident and said he is a credible source and a “great guy.”

While Facilities Management was unreachable from Friday afternoon to time of publication, Jeffrey’s e-mail said both JMU Police and Facilities Management responded immediately to the report by securing the first floor windows in Jackson and installing new locks on the doors. Jeffrey also said new doors were ordered for the building and Facilities Management workers were sent to both Moody and Maury Halls to determine if additional security measures may be needed in either building.

The custodian was unreachable for comment. Due to the sensitive nature of the situation, his name will not be published at this time.