News > November 6, 2008

By Cheryl Johnson | Staff writer

On Oct. 27, a man, unassociated with the university was robbed after he got out of his car and began walking home on Brookwood Drive just off Polo Road. A university student was robbed the very next day, Oct. 28, at Deacon Ridge. She was in her car in the Deacon Ridge parking lot, which is just north of the campus on University Parkway, when a man approached her with a handgun. After the robbery, the attacker fled the scene, leaving the young woman uninjured.

On Oct. 30, another university student was robbed in parking lot R2, near the Polo Residence Hall.

According to her statement to the University Police, she was about to leave her car when a man with a handgun approached her.

He told her to drive him to different ATMs around Winston-Salem. After withdrawing money, he instructted her to drop him off in Kimberly Park near downtown Winston-Salem. During this incident, the victim said that the robber struck her, but fortunately she was not seriously injured.

A recent string of break-ins has also surfaced in the community. In one situation in early October, a university student was at her off-campus house when a man suddenly broke in.

According to the student’s statement, she pushed the man outside and locked the door. She was not injured during this incident.

So far, there have been no arrests in these cases.

The University Police are investigating the on-campus robbery with help from the Winston-Salem Police Department, which is investigating all three of the robberies. All of these incidents occurred between 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The University Police have created a list of how students and faculty can keep themselves safe on campus. They encourage people to be aware of their surrounding and to be cautious when entering and exiting vehicles.

Also, they are urging students and faculty not to park their vehicle if something or someone in the area appears suspicious.

They recommend that you just continue driving and contact the police. Avoid walking alone at night.

Make arrangements to walk in groups and in well-lit areas.

When possible, use the campus Shuttle Service, which operates every day from 7:45 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Students are urged to keep residence hall rooms locked, especially at night and when residents are asleep. Also, nobody should be propping doors that are intended to be locked at all times like the entrance doors to each residence hall.

Do not lend your keys or key cards to anyone.

In order to keep the crime rate from rising, students and faculty are urged to report any crimes or suspicious activity on campus to the University Police.

If you have a campus phone or extension you should dial 5911.

When calling from a cell phone, dial campus ext. 5911.

If anyone has information about the robberies that would assist the investigation, please call either the University Police Crime Stoppers at ext. 4477 or the Winston-Salem Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800.

Your anonymity is guaranteed if you call either one of the Crime Stopper units.