On Wednesday, April 16, Washington College Public Safety released a campus-wide email providing students, staff, and faculty members with additional information on a timely warning that occurred earlier that same evening.
According to the email, two female-identifying students were followed by a “post-college aged man” who fell into step behind them as they walked back to the College campus on Washington Avenue. Unease regarding the man’s presence led the students to run, upon which they discovered the man in question also began to run, “appearing to chase the students.”
Upon crossing the street, the students then entered Cullen Hall. According to the email, “while the male initially did not follow,” he did come onto campus, though he did not appear to follow the students. However, upon further investigation via on-campus camera footage, the male appeared to then head off-campus alongside Campus Avenue, continuing to move at a run/jog pace the entire time.
According to the email, the students reported the incident to PS and the Chestertown Police Department. They described the male to be of medium build and average height, “wearing a maroon t-shirt, jeans, and a gray sweatshirt tied around their waist,” and of “medium-dark skin and short black hair.”
As of time of print, the case remains under investigation.
In light of the incident, the campus strongly encourages the College campus community to continue “practic[ing] basic safety precautions,” including being aware of one’s surroundings; reporting any suspicious activities to PS or the CPD; and using on-campus resources, including PS escorts and SafeRide, whenever possible.
“As always, we encourage our students, employees, and guests to practice basic safety precautions,” the email said.