A ForeWarn message was sent to the campus community early Sunday morning after a mugging in the heart of campus.
It was the second such incident to take place within the campus proper this semester.
About 1:40 a.m. Sunday, a freshman man was walking in the 900 block of Elmwood Avenue when he noticed a man walking toward him.
That man, later identified as Joe L. Porch Jr., 19, of 415 Hamilton Ave. Apt. 501, approached the victim and punched him in the face.
The student then fell to the ground, which was when a second man approached and kicked the student in the stomach.
The men then ordered the student to hand over his wallet, which he did, and they fled back to a waiting van.
The student walked back to University Hall and called police.
About 20 minutes later, a BUPD officer was patrolling in the 200 block of Western Avenue when he noticed a van matching the victim’s description in the Jumer’s BP Gas Station lot.
She pulled in and, after a few moments, the van pulled onto southbound Western Avenue.
The officer initiated his lights and sounded his siren in an attempt to get the driver of the van to pull over, which he did after several blocks.
The victim was able to identify Porch and Tyson Anderson, 17, of 7104 E. Rockvale, who was arrested and booked on charges of robbery and mob action. A third man, who is a minor, was arrested and booked on identical charges.
Porch was arrested and booked on charges of robbery, mob action, possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license.
Police recovered the victim’s wallet and its contents, minus $23 and his Visa debit card, inside the van.
The ForeWarn message went out about 2:15 a.m., with was about 20 minutes after police were at U-Hall and talking to the victim.
“The message could have been sent out sooner,” University Police Chief Dave Baer said. “The decision to send a text message out is made by the most senior officer on duty.”
Many students seemed confused by the text and wished it possessed more information.
“I was a bit confused on what the text meant,” said junior psychology major Hayler Braatz. “It just said ‘intruder on campus.’ I feel like the ambiguity was a bit unsettling.
“I was actually checking my e-mail the next morning to see if the university was going to explain what happened.”
Including more information in the future is a possibility, Baer said. He also said that in the future, the emergency alert would be broadcast across campus via the loud speakers on top of Bradley Hall and the Student Apartment Complex.
