‘Suspicious Person’ Spotted Near Sioux Falls College Campus
Typically on a college campus, you see students rushing to class, hanging out at the coffee spot, or cramming for an exam last-minute by studying at the library. Students and staff feel relatively safe on campus for the most part. However, last week was a scary situation for some Sioux Falls college students.
Officials at Augustana University in Sioux Falls are addressing a "high-alert" case late last week. There were "reports of a break-in and a suspicious person being seen near off-campus student housing." This recent activity serves as a reminder to students to always remain vigilant and cautious.
Our news partners at Dakota News Now are reporting that an "Augustana student living in a house near campus found an unknown man had broken in and was in her bedroom. He left the house soon after she woke up and noticed he was there." Prior to this break-in, there was "a suspicious person" who was spotted along Summit Avenue. When an Augustana Campus Safety officer approached this person, they ran off to a car and drove away. After tracing the license plate number, they discovered the car was connected to a registered sex offender.
With warmer weather finally shining a light in the Sioux Falls area, criminal and suspicious activity will rise with it. Public Information Officer for the Sioux Falls Police Department Sam Clemens explains that if something doesn't feel right, always report it. “It might just be kind of a gut feeling that you have that something weird is going on. If you see something that’s out of the ordinary or something that you think is suspicious, we need to know about it and check it out.”
Associate Vice President of Campus Safety for Augustana University Rick Tupper explains it's the campus' role to keep everyone safe and alert. Tupper encourages students to report any situation, even if it appears to be nothing.
“We don’t have to live in fear, by any means. We want them to feel comfortable reporting that stuff so that we can deal with it before it becomes a problem. While we don’t want to create anxiety, we do want them to be aware and use that awareness so they can keep themselves safe both on campus and off campus. Again, we’re encouraging them to let us know when it happens.”
More details about this story can be found here.