No Charges Filed Against UI Student, Ban From Campus Dropped

Thanks for the update. I didn't think they could possibly make any charges stick. Interesting story. S.

I was reading about this. Crazy.

yeah

Michael...I am always a day late and a dollar short it seems.....I just left a comment on your original article....but I'll make it short here and check the links....who was it that tackled the kid? Was it ICPD or campus security?!? Now I'm off to check the links and hopefully catch up on the news.....

"To members of the University community,

We are sending you this news release to keep you informed about safety and security incidents on campus.

University of Iowa News Release
April 27, 2007

No Charges Filed Against UI Student, Ban From Campus Dropped

UI administrators announced Friday that a UI student apprehended yesterday and banned from campus for wearing a ski mask to a class in Macbride Hall will not be charged in the incident.

UI student Justin Walker, who was taken into custody yesterday afternoon by UI police after the incident, has been cleared to continue attending classes on the UI campus and will not be charged, said UI Vice President for Student Services Phillip Jones. "Given what happened at Virginia Tech and a bomb threat on the UI campus earlier in the week, we were going to err on the side of caution in regard to this incident," he said. "Now that we have thoroughly investigated it, we have determined that no charges will be brought against Mr. Walker, and he is cleared to resume his class schedule."

Following the incident yesterday, which occurred over the noon hour, Walker was given a criminal trespass warning, but that citation was rescinded Friday as well, Jones said.

Jones said that some have criticized his decision to release the student's name and address, but he explained that he made the decision to provide the information for the sake of openness and so there would be no allegations of suppressing public information or confusing this student with others on campus of the same name. "During these times of jittery nerves, everyone on campus needs to be assured of their safety and know that we are not suppressing anything that is considered public information," Jones said.

Jones added that he has met with various parties relative to the incident, including Walker and the investigating UI police officers, and that he is satisfied that the incident is now resolved.

Yesterday's incident occurred after Walker, a UI undergraduate student, attended a class in a large auditorium on campus, and didn't remove a ski mask he was wearing, prompting someone in the class to be concerned and to notify authorities. Walker later was apprehended as the person in question.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Suite 371, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500."

thanks for posting the story Michael..if everyone would have clicked on the link it might have overwhelmed the site...I'm not sure they are set up for a lot of traffic! LOL