Woman trespasses on college campus
At approximately 9:08 a.m. on June 1, a Grand Rapids Community College police officer, while on foot patrol, encountered a woman whom he believed was trespassing on campus at Bostwick Commons. The officer asked the woman what her business was on campus, if she was a current student at GRCC and relayed GRCC’s policy on being on campus. The woman stated she was on campus to access the Lake Michigan Credit Union’s ATM on the fourth floor of the main building.
The GRCC police officer recognized the woman from Fountain Street Church as part of a group of homeless individuals who frequent the church for sleeping arrangements. The woman denied ever having spoken to GRCC police officers and stated she did not know the policy on trespassing.
When asked for her identification, the woman stated she did not have it on her, but left it with a friend at a picnic table in Bostwick Commons. The woman refused to identify herself to the officer and became irate at the interaction with the officer, so she attempted to push the officer with her walker in an effort to shut down the conversation. The officer held her walker, keeping the woman from fleeing, and asked again for her to identify herself.
The officer requested backup from dispatch and a second officer arrived on the scene moments after. The woman eventually identified herself and provided the officers with her identifying documents. The officers ran the woman’s identifying information and found that the woman did not have any outstanding criminal warrants nor had GRCCPD ever had any documented encounters with her. She was given a verbal warning about trespassing and asked to leave.
Man trespasses on campus
At 3:23 p.m. on June 1, a call was received at GRCCPD regarding an intoxicated male who urinated on the floor in the men’s restroom in the Spectrum Theater. The man was described to dispatch as having a stocky build, wearing a sleeveless shirt and carrying a black backpack. The officer dispatched to the scene first spoke with the GRCC employee who made the initial call regarding the man. The employee stated that they made contact with the man prior to calling GRCCPD and asked if he was a student. The man’s response was that he only needed to use the restroom. The employee entered the restroom after the unidentified man used it and noticed there was urine puddled on the floor of the restroom. The employee then attempted to search for the man in the building but was unable to locate him.
Upon arrival, the officer dispatched checked other areas of the building and noticed room L8, a locker room located in the building, was unlocked. The officer entered the locker room and checked the restrooms where he found a locked stall with what appeared to be a black backpack sitting inside the stall. The officer requested backup and knocked on the stall, asking the person inside to open the door. Once the man opened the stall door they found the suspect matched the description of the trespasser.
The officers asked the man for his identification, but the suspect refused to divulge that information initially. Eventually, the man provided his identification. The officers then checked the man’s information on the Law Enforcement Information Network and found he had two outstanding warrants with a 25-mile pickup out of Detroit, Michigan. The officers gave the man a verbal warning for trespassing and told him he could not be on GRCC’s campus. The officer noted that the man had never had any encounters with GRCCPD nor was he intoxicated, like the original caller described.
Two false fire alarms at different locations in downtown campus
At 2:54 p.m. on June 6, GRCC police officers were dispatched to College Park Plaza regarding an activated fire alarm. Upon inspection, the alarm panel showed the tripped fire alarm was located in the first floor mechanical room. The officers entered the mechanical room, but did not notice any smoke or fire. Soon after, the officers were approached by two workers who were drilling concrete on the mezzanine level directly above the first floor mechanical room. Seeing that there was no smoke or fire, one of the officers deactivated the alarm and called the Grand Rapids Fire Department to declare the incident a false alarm.
Later that same day, at 4:18 p.m., a GRCC police officer was dispatched to the Student Center at 122 Lyon St. regarding a fire alarm. The officer was informed while on his way to the Student Center that the alarm was pulled by a child at a pull station and was determined to be a false alarm. Upon the officer’s arrival, the scene had been cleared by GRFD and the alarm was reset.
Firearm concern reported by GRCC professor and student
A GRCC professor contacted GRCCPD regarding a conversation that occurred between two students. The professor was notified of the conversation by another student and decided to contact GRCCPD for follow up. The professor stated two students were talking during one of his classes about firearms and one of the students mentioned they had theirs in their car after the recent crimes that have been reported in downtown Grand Rapids, specifically referring to a stabbing that occurred where the suspect ran through GRCC campus to flee. The professor left both of the students names with GRCCPD.
A GRCC police officer contacted the student who first reported the conversation to the professor. The student stated they were concerned enough about the firearm on campus to contact the professor about it. The same GRCC police officer then contacted the student who claimed to have the firearm in their vehicle.
The student stated to the officer that they were aware of the gun laws regarding owning and possessing firearms. They also mentioned to the officer they were a CPL holder and the firearm was locked in a case which was inaccessible while driving. The student further knew GRCC’s policy on firearms and recited it to the officer. The student was not surprised by the officer’s phone call nor appeared to be upset.
The officer contacted the student who made the initial report to advise on the case. No further action was taken by GRCCPD.
Disorderly conduct reported at Spectrum Theater
At 10:38 a.m. on June 7, GRCC officers were dispatched to a possible fight on the Spectrum Theater parking lot between GRPS Central Innovations students. Upon arrival, the officers did not see anything amiss. While speaking to several students who were nearby, the students mentioned it was nothing more than horseplay.
Before leaving, the officers spoke to the employees who made the initial call. They reported there was a male and female student who appeared to be fighting and at one point, the male student picked up a fallen parking sign and gestured he was going to hit the female.
Since there was no sign of any wrongdoing, the officers reported the incident to GRPD and GRPS security to keep an eye out in the area in the future.
Trespassing at Winchester Alley
At approximately 6:08 p.m. on June 8, a GRCC police officer was dispatched to Winchester Alley regarding a possible male trespasser who wore an orange hoodie. Upon arrival, the officer made contact with the man and asked if he had any business on school property. The man did not, but stated he was there to get lunch and was advised by an unnamed person that he could be on the property for that purpose. The officer issued a trespass warning and stated he could not be on the property unless he had official business to conduct at GRCC.
Traffic stop on Bostwick and Lyon
At approximately 11:22 a.m. on June 11 while on mobile patrol, a GRCC police officer noticed a gold four-door Buick with a missing license plate and a crack in the front windshield. The officer turned on the patrol lights, requesting the driver to stop, but the car did not stop initially. The vehicle stopped at a red light on Lyon and Division Ave. momentarily, but left shortly before the officer could exit their vehicle. The suspect eventually stopped on the ramp to Michigan St.
The officer was able to question the suspect after the car stopped. The female driver stated she was unaware the officer was pulling her over. The officer asked for her license, registration and proof of insurance, but the driver of the vehicle could not provide any of the documents. She provided a Michigan ID and the officer was able to look up the driver in LEIN. A report was returned that the driver never had a driver’s license. The officer asked the driver why she failed to register the car in her name and get insurance to which the driver responded that she had a lot of issues in her life and she needed a way to get to work and school.
The officer issued the driver a citation for driving while unlicensed, one for an unregistered vehicle and one for not having insurance on the vehicle. The officer also asked the driver to contact someone who did have a valid license to pick her up from the scene. The driver contacted a family member who arrived shortly after. The officer gave the keys to the vehicle to the licensed family member.
Bicycle theft at Calkins Science Building
At approximately 2:32 p.m. on June 11, a GRCC officer was contacted regarding a report of a stolen bicycle. The GRCC student who made the claim stated he left his bicycle on the rack outside the Calkins Science Building around 12:30 p.m. and when he returned at 3:30 p.m. the bicycle was gone. The bicycle was described as a yellow road bike with black wrapping and was valued at approximately $1,000. Because the bike was bought second-hand, the owner was not aware of a registration number.
The officer reviewed video footage of the area and found two male suspects around the bicycle rack around 2:28 p.m. One of the men is seen riding off on the bike at 2:32 p.m. toward Lyon St.
The bike turned up at a local bike shop later the same day, according to the original bike owner. The owner stated the bike was bought for $143. The bike was given to the original owner. He then expressed he did not want to file charges, he simply wanted his property back.
After further investigation, the check that was issued for the sale of the bike was used to find the person who handed in the bike to the local bike shop. The officers contacted the person, a female, to get information about the sale of the bike. The woman said she brought in the bike for a man whom she met at a bus stop near her sister’s house on Plainfield Avenue. The man insisted she sell the bike to the bike shop and offered the woman $40 for her help in the sale. The woman agreed and received a check for $143 from the shop owner, which was cashed immediately after the exchange. It is unclear whether the woman cashed the check or the man she met at the bus stop.
In a phone conversation later that day with the original GRCC officer assigned to the case, the woman asked if there would be any charges filed against her. The officer referred the woman to the Grand Rapids Police Department for further details on the investigation as they took over the case. In a follow-up with GRPD, the woman was asked to pay restitution to the bike shop for the sale of the bike.
