UNA Robbery encourages safety on campus

Campus Robbery

UNA Robbery encourages safety on campus

“By Sara Gipson”

Word Count: 430

On the early Tuesday morning of September 7^th, around 1:30 AM three UNA students were robbed right outside the campus. The students were returning to their vehicle at the intersection of Hermitage Drive and Seminary Street when the 3 individuals approached them, one of them carrying a handgun. The suspects were driving a Chevy Lumina, and they stole the students’ wallets, cash, and cell phones. After the suspects fled the scene, they allegedly began texting acquaintances from the victim’s cell phones, threatening the acquaintances that if they did not bring them money they would kill the victims. One of the female acquaintances was Daylee Downs, a junior at UNA. Downs reported that they were instructed by who they believed to the victims to pick them up at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library. However when they arrived, they saw two black males in the parking lot and left the scene. “We knew something wasn’t right when we pulled up,” Downs reported. Police say a second robbery a second robbery occurred later on right off of Hermitage Drive that may be related to the one with the UNA students. Police say that after the incident, the victims contacted Florence Police immediately. Florence Police is in the process of issuing a warrant for first degree robbery, and intend on bring justice to the situation.

The details behind the robbery are still being investigated. “There’s a possibility of a drug deal gone bad,” said Officer Fleming of the Florence City Police Department. “I don’t know how much I can say about the issue but we are going to get to the bottom of it.” When asked about rumors of the robbery involving an UNA athlete Fleming reported that the department was looking into all options of who could be behind the robbery, but the department cannot clarify that the rumor is true. UNA public safety has issued several emails to all students reminding them to be cautious of their surroundings and making safety on campus a top priority. Even though public safety and Florence police force are making a team effort to prevent campus violence at the university, students cannot help but feel a little uncomfortable after hearing about the reported robberies. “It definitely makes you think twice when walking to class or home from the library,” said student Carson Richey, a sophomore here at the university. “The last place anyone wants to feel unsafe is at school.” The robbery has been a reality check for faculty and students at the university, and hopefully will encourage awareness about campus violence and safety to prevent future incidents.

Sara Gipson is a student at UNA majoring in Secondary Education Language Arts.