Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Mark Hardy Dobson Hall Desk worker sophomore Jiao Rao swipes resident freshman Kip Mountjoy into the residence halls late Wednesday evening. An intruder passed this spot early Sunday morning without presenting identification.

A Baring, Mo., man is in jail on a $75,000 cash-only bond after passing a night monitor and entering two females' room in Dobson Hall early the morning of Jan. 20.

Andrew Couch, 21, has been charged with Class B felony burglary and Class D felony attempted deviate sexual assault in connection with the incident. His preliminary hearing was set Wednesday morning for Jan. 30.

Dobson Hall Director Stephanie Chrissotimos said the night monitor on duty followed security procedures.

"About four o'clock in the morning on Sunday, a male entered the building through the night monitor area," Chrissotimos said. "The night monitor did ask to see an ID. The man said he didn't have an ID because he wasn't a Truman student."

After the night monitor refused him entry, Couch told the night monitor he was going to meet a friend. The night monitor again denied entry to Couch, who then passed the desk and turned the corner to the stairs anyway, Chrissotimos said.

"The night monitors, we don't require them to chase after anybody or put themselves in physical harm," Chrissotimos said. "But what we do require of them [is] to contact [the police] immediately. As soon as Couch passed the night monitor, the night monitor did call 911."

She said the night monitor provided central dispatch with a detailed description of Couch at 4:02 a.m. When DPS officers Tami O'Haver and Dexter Brookhart arrived at the scene, they began searching for Couch around the perimeter of the building. A communication mixup between the night monitor, central dispatch and the patrolling officers led Brookhart and O'Haver to believe Couch had left the building, Chrissotimos said.

John Mounsey, coordinator of facilities and process design for Residence Life, said O'Haver and Brookhart received word that Couch had "left the area."

"[DPS is] going to review the tape and see if there's something our night monitor could have said more clearly so they understood where [Couch] was and also if he identified himself clearly so that they knew to check in with him," Mounsey said. "So there's a few things we're looking at to see if we can tighten up a little bit."

Continued...

Page 1 of 5 next >

Article Tools