Meghan Donovan, Stuff Writer
At 12:20 a.m. on Feb. 11, a report was called in to Campus Security stating damage to a curb, lamppost and government owned ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) van on campus. There is no surveillance covering the incident itself, according to Mike D’Ambrosio, Operation Manager of Campus Security. Although “there is no physical witness,” D’Ambrosio said they have gathered enough evidence to involve Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. Working with the Sheriff’s office, Campus Security has gathered that the vehicle, heading west, miss-navigated the east turn, hit the curb, and went air born before taking out a lamppost, blowing a tire, and causing extensive damage to the driver’s side of the 10-passenger ROTC van.
When Campus Security got the call, they were working with another incident. When they arrived at the scene they saw tire rim tracks headed toward Marmion and Snyder. It is believed the suspect changed their tire here and then drove off. Property damage has been estimated at $3000. This means that the suspect would not be charged with a felony. There are some leads, but no arrests have been made.
The investigation will continue with both Campus Security and Pasco County Sherriff’s Office. Because no body work can be done on a vehicle in Pasco County without the proper paperwork, they are going to be keeping watch on any vehicles being repaired for extensive front end damage.
Surveillance cameras on this part of campus will be enabled in Phase III, which will begin this summer. Speed bumps in the area have also been proposed, but as D’Ambrosio said, “speed bumps only work for people that care about their cars.”
