By Sherry Sokolowski
Man Found Sleeping in the Student Center Doorway
At 7:17 a.m. on July 13, Officer Paul Coulson discovered an individual sleeping in the entrance to the Student Center while patrolling. The individual was fully asleep with their shirt pulled over their head. Officer Kaye McCarty arrived on the scene as backup.
The man was very cooperative and explained he had no identification because he’d recently been robbed. He identified himself. After searching his name, it came back that he had no wants or warrants, but that he was a registered sex offender. The Grand Rapids Community College Police Department had previous contact with the man on four different occasions, although the most recent encounter was in 2013.
He admitted to drinking too much the previous night and falling asleep in the Student Center doorway. He apologized and agreed to not return to campus. The man was given a verbal warning and left the area at 7:30 a.m.
Suspicious Phone Call Made to GRCCPD, GRPD, and KCPD
On July 2, Officer Kam Robles was informed by GRCC dispatcher Mike DeKam that an unknown man called the department at 6:50 p.m. and 6:54 p.m. on the same day. During both of the calls, he stated that he wasn’t feeling well because of an exposure to unknown chemicals during his time in the military and was looking to turn in a large number of firearms to the department.
He mentioned three GRCC Police Department staff – Chief Whitman, Officer Graves, and Dispatcher DeKam – by name. DeKam asked for further information from the caller but was unsuccessful. He searched the phone number through GRCC’s database and no information was found. The man also contacted the Grand Rapids Police Department and the Kent County Sheriff’s Department. They both ran the number through their systems and no record was subsequently found. The number was shown to have come from Princeton, Minnesota. All of the parties involved were made aware of the situation.
Registered Sex Offender Found Trespassing on Campus
On July 7 at 6:37 a.m. Officer Timothy Nelson was helping Officer Paul Coulson on a routine patrol in the area of Fountain Street S.E. and South Bostwick Commons. They noticed a man sleeping underneath one of the tables in the commons. The man was identified with his Michigan driver’s license and said he was using the charging station at one of the tables and fell asleep under the table while waiting.
He also mentioned that he was homeless due to recently getting out of prison. Dispatch ran a search and found that he had no wants or warrants, but that he did have an Officer Safety Caution due to being a registered sex offender. He was given a warning for trespassing on GRCC property, and he said he would move to a new location. Coulson advised that in the future, trespassing again could result in a citation or arrest. The man said he understood, gathered his belongings, and left the scene.
