Campus police responded to a call about a male trespasser in the lobby area of the Engineering Science Building on Jan. 13, according to a police report written by officer John Hudgens.
The report stated Clint E. Williams, 48, was arrested for trespassing, which is something he has been arrested for several times at the U of M.
In October 2017, The Daily Helmsman reported Williams’ criminal trespassing arrest, which happened on Oct. 23 in the lobby of the Engineering Building. This was not his first incident, and he was transported to the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center, according to the report.
Williams is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 26, according to Shelby County court records.
A few days before, officers received a call about a suspicious person in the front of the University Center on Jan. 10, according to a police report written by officer Emmon Fitchpatrick.
Robert Mattox was identified as the defendant and had previously been placed on criminal trespass Feb. 24, 2017.
The report also states that Mattox was arrested and taken to jail at 201 Poplar Ave. Officers said they did not issue a misdemeanor citation to Mattox because “offense may continue.”
Derek Myers, assistant chief of campus police, said there are certain procedures officials have put in place to prevent these incidents from happening again.
“When dealing with someone like Mr. Williams, the key is being vigilant and checking the areas we know he likes to frequent,” Myers said. “We also walk the buildings to double check the doors and look for unauthorized occupants at night when the university is closed.”
Myers also said most of the campus’ exterior doors are locked or unlocked by software and require credentials after regular business hours.
Although Mattox and Williams have violated their initial warnings, Myers said former trespassers rarely violate the rules they are given.
“We make a physical arrest after verbally warning people on the first encounter and give them a misdemeanor citation on the second, unless some other circumstance is present,” Myers said. “After that, we consistently make a physical arrest for trespassing and transport that person to jail.”
Mattox and Williams’ incidents are the first ones to occur in 2018, but Myers said campus trespassing is not reported very often.
“There were only 11 arrests for trespassing in 2017,” Myers said. “There were two arrests in the spring, three in the summer and the rest in the fall.”
Myers said anyone who sees suspicious behavior should utilize their campus crime resources.
“Police services should be contacted about suspicious persons or activity by calling us at 901-678-4357, using a Blue Light Phone or using the LiveSafe App,” Myers said.
Blue Light phones are located by several campus buildings, and LiveSafe can be downloaded on Google Play or the App Store. Myers also said the university’s Physical Plant custodians are examples of those who utilize these resources and check their surroundings.
“They are very aware and call regularly when they observe anything unusual or when they run across people in buildings at odd times of the day or night,” Myers said.
