Semester Recap
Page 2B // Dec. 9, 2016 @bsudailynews
FOUR PEOPLE ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY Within 6 months, multiple men associated with Ball State were arrested for same crime Kara Berg Crime Reporter In just six months, police have arrested four Ball State-affiliated people on charges that they downloaded child pornography — a string that one defense lawyer said was not surprising. Employees Brian Siebenaler, Randal Ray Schmidt and Robert Yadon were all caught with child porn on their campus computers, according to university press releases. Club fencing coach Brian Koby, who is not technically a Ball State employee, was caught at home, according to the probable cause affidavit. However, police have found all cases to be unrelated, said Joan Todd, university spokesperson. To have four cases in this short amount of time and have none them be related is quite unusual, said Robert Perez, a Washington criminal defense attorney who specializes in sex crimes. But it isn’t
surprising to him, either. “There are a lot of people out there looking at these images,” Perez said. “It’s very prevalent, much more than people realize … There’s a tremendous amount of curiosity out there about these visions, these images.” Perez has defended college professors, lawyers and even police officers on charges of child pornography possession. In many cases, they get caught because they don’t realize how exposed they are on their computers, he said. “I think most people believe that when they’re in their private residence looking at their computer, they think no one else can see them,” Perez said. “They don’t think they’re going to get caught, but why they do it on work computers has always baffled me.” Whenever someone downloads or searches for child porn, Internet Service Providers flag and track the IP address, which they report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. NCMEC then reports it to local police — Indiana State Police, in the case of these four incidents.
For all three individuals caught on campus, University Police Department Chief Jim Duckham said in a press release the investigations began when “a routine review of information security alerted administration that a campus computer was accessing a site with suspicious content.” On campus, because of added security measures, chances of getting caught are even higher, said Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar, a computer and information technology professor at Purdue University. “It could be an impulsivity thing, the need to look at [the porn] in that moment,” Seigfried-Spellar said. “It doesn’t matter where they are … It doesn’t matter that they’re at work, because they don’t think they’re going to get caught.” The distribution of child pornography is increasing, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. But Seigfried-Spellar said it’s hard to tell if that’s actually true because of the spread of the internet. “Think about everyone who has access to the internet, whether someone has
it at home, the library, a friend’s house or at work,” she said. “Anyone who has access to the internet has access to pornography.” There’s also more funding now to catch those who use child pornography, so government task forces and law enforcement are cracking down on the acts. But even though child pornography possession has harsh criminal penalties — anywhere from six months to two and a half years in prison — both Seigfried-Spellar and Perez said possessing child pornography doesn’t automatically mean someone is a pedophile or will molest children. It can be they are just curious, or collect porn and wanted to round out their collection. “It’s like when there is a beheading from terrorists and someone posts a video of it online and millions of people go look at it,” Perez said. “Why? Why would you want to see that? It’s just morbid curiosity.” Contact Kara Berg with any questions or concerns at knberg2@bsu.edu.
MPD arrests 2 students following fatal shooting
Police investigate a homicide that occurred near campus. The victim was found at the Bethel Avenue Apartments complex Kara Berg & Casey Smith Daily News Reporters A Ball State student fatally shot an armed robber at her apartment early Oct. 8 — and was then arrested herself after police said they discovered 30 grams of marijuana and $10,000 in cash. The incident began with a theft of keys at a Friday night video game tournament and ended with a shootout between the student and two robbers breaking into her home at the Bethel Apartments around 6:30 a.m. the next day. Authorities gave this account of the incident, which left two Ball State students facing charges, one man dead and another wounded and charged in the armed robbery: The gaming tournament was held at the apartment of Darjae Houston, a 23-year-old student. Houston noticed her keys were missing after the party, and she woke up a few hours later, at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, when a masked intruder unlocked the front door to her apartment and began to come in. When she yelled, the intruder ran away. She asked a male friend to come to the apartment for safety, and then was Facetiming with her friend Alicia Tarver when two masked men with handguns came to the door and tried to break in. Houston’s male friend was trying to keep them out when one of the gunmen shot him in the wrist. Authorities, who did not name Houston’s friend, said he was not seriously injured. Police say Houston told them she then grabbed her 9-mm handgun from a couch and began firing at the men in her doorway. One of them — identified as 21-year-old Trayon L. Turner — was shot in the head and leg, and fell to the floor while the other man fled. Turner died at the scene. The other intruder — later identified as his cousin, 21-year-old Delon Martez Owens of Indianapolis — was shot three times. Authorities said Owens fled to the home of his girlfriend — Alicia Tarver, the woman Houston had been talking to via Facetime when the gunmen attacked her home. Tarver lives on Marleon Drive about two miles away, and police say she drove Owens to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was not critically injured. Owens later tried to persuade officers that he was shot by three men trying to
steal his cell phone. Tarver, meanwhile, told police she had been in Indianapolis. Investigators say she provided false information about her whereabouts at the time of the shootings, saying, “[Owens] wouldn’t tell her what happened, and she had no clue what happened.” Investigators found a bloody .38-caliber revolver in a dumpster at Tarver’s apartment complex and a car at the apartment complex — registered to the dead man’s mother — with blood stains inside. Turner’s wallet and ID were also found in Tarver’s apartment. Back at Houston’s apartment, police discovered the marijuana, cash and digital scales, and arrested Houston on preliminary charges of possession of marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance. Tarver was also arrested on charges of obstruction of justice, false informing and assisting a criminal. Both students were released from jail on Saturday after posting bond. Police believe Houston had told Tarver that there were large amounts of money in her apartment, and that Owens and Turner broke in to take the cash. Owens was released from Ball Memorial on Monday night and was being held in the Delaware County Jail under a $60,000 bond. Records show Owens already faces criminal charges in Indianapolis. He was one of three men arrested for allegedly firing gunshots that wounded four people in a downtown Indianapolis parking garage May 29. Trial on four charges of attempted murder is set for December, and he could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted. Owens also received a suspended sentence for a misdemeanor battery conviction in Marion County in July. Muncie Police said because the male intruders fired shots first, Houston was justified in defending herself. “When two suspects attempt to break in to someone’s residence, it’s always dangerous, and you have a right to defend yourself,” MPD Detective Brian Campbell said. Campbell said more charges could be coming in the case, but it will be up to the prosecutor’s office to make that decision. Contact Casey Smtih with any questions or concerns at news@bsudailynews.com.
TRUMP
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As an openly gay man, Bontrager said in a previous interview that he voted for Hillary Clinton for protection of LGBT marriage equality and his civil rights. On Nov. 8, Bontrager said he was too emotional about the results to speak. “My heart is breaking for LGBT, Muslims, Mexicans, Women and climate change,” Bontrager tweeted. “I’m beyond scared.” But, above all the drama and controversies, Trump pulled out a win, shattering what almost every poll had predicted — a Clinton victory. For Carol Street, an archivist for architectural records at Bracken Library, a Clinton presidency would have meant a change in how women are treated in the U.S. “As women, we still tend to accommodate
and deal with instances of gender discrimination,” Street said. “It’s more subtle than it used to be, but still there." It’s taken the U.S. so long to have a female on the ballot, and the country passed up what would have been a “watershed moment for this country,” Street said.
TNS
Contact Kara Berg with any questions or concerns at knberg2@bsu.edu.
Bradley Jones // DN File
A report came through at 8:27 p.m. Sept. 1 that a gunman was spotted near DeHority and Woodworth complexes, according to an emergency notification from Ball State. Students were alerted via text, email and Twitter. Shortly after 10 p.m., students received notification that the campus-wide lockdown had been lifted.
LOCKDOWN Gunman on campus causes fear, panic in some students Kara Berg & Casey Smith Daily News Reporters It was a long hour and a half. A single report of a man with a gun turned campus upside down Sept. 1 as Ball State police, Muncie police and Indiana State Police searched buildings and ordered students to find shelter while they raced to track down two men said to be carrying a gun. “I was really terrified,” said freshman nursing major Deona Webster. “The police didn’t come into my room, but I heard them all around us. I was really scared because I felt like they didn’t check on us. I cried twice, peed myself twice and had two panic attacks.” In the end, police scanner traffic said security video showed the two men leaving Woodworth Complex without incident, but police would not confirm that. An otherwise normal Thursday night was ruined by all the uproar; however, no shots were fired, and no one was injured. In a second-floor room in the Art and Journalism Building where several dozen students were sheltering in place, one female student said she was leaving but would be back: “I’m headed to the bathroom if anyone wants to go and you’re nervous.” REPORT OF TWO MEN WITH A GUN The incident began with a report at 8:27 p.m. of a gunman spotted near DeHority and Woodworth complexes. A second announcement over the university’s emergency alert system about half an hour later said two suspects were being pursued. Authorities said the suspect thought to be carrying a gun was “a white male with dark, short hair, age 18-22, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves partly rolled up, brown cargo shorts, black socks and black shoes.” The second man was said to be around the same age wearing a pink-and-gray striped shirt. Police radio traffic said a review of video from Woodworth Complex showed the two men left the building around 8:15 p.m. Officers began searching nearby buildings, barricading Riverside Avenue between New York and McKinley avenues. State troopers arrived around 9:20 p.m. Emergency notifications from the university offered few details: “Gun in small of back. Last seen in area of
Woodworth. Shelter in place until all clear given,” a text alert said shortly after 9 p.m. RESIDENT ASSISTANTS ORDER STUDENTS TO THEIR ROOMS Resident assistants had talked about emergencies like this in training but had not practiced for them, said RA Levi McCarter of DeHority. The emergency triggered sirens in both DeHority and Woodworth, blaring a warning about an “armed assailant in or near the building.” RAs were told to have students get into their rooms and lock their doors. “My adrenaline is pumping,” McCarter said as he led students into DeHority. “This isn’t really something you can prepare for … It’s not like a fire alarm where you can practice it.” At Woodworth, residence hall staff worked with their own students, along with others who were not from the hall but needed shelter. They told Woodworth residents to go to their rooms, and everyone else was led to a room near the dining hall. Police later moved those students to DeHority, checking IDs and making a list of students’ names. Leah Heim, a sophomore English and French major, was one of the students waiting in line to be let into DeHority. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared,” Heim said. “We were all in a position to keep a level head. We’ve grown up [hearing about situations like this], we know how it goes.” HIDING UNDER HER BED Webster, the freshman nursing major, said she was terrified throughout the entire lockdown. She and the three others in her room hid under their beds the whole time, even though they had to pee. “We were freaking out and had no idea what to do,” Webster said. “It was like a high school lockdown, but 10 times worse because we didn’t have a teacher telling us what to do.” Her mom told her she should transfer because of the threat, but Webster said she didn’t want to. She knew her mom was just worried for her safety. Even after the all-clear was issued Thursday night, Webster said she was still scared. “I can’t sleep in Woodworth tonight,” Webster said, “I probably won’t sleep at all tonight.” Contact Casey Smith with any questions or concerns at news@bsudailynews.com.