Posts Tagged “Arrests”

Update, 4:04 pm: Vox has learned that the man arrested was James McFerguson. A search of D.C. court cases online revealed 43 separate cases against McFerguson stretching back to 1985, though it’s unclear whether all are against the James McFerguson arrested Wednesday.

Original Post: At around 2 p.m. yesterday, plainclothes DPS officers on patrol arrested a man they observed knocking on and trying to open doors of several University townhouses on the 3700 block of Prospect St. Upon searching the suspect’s backpack, officers found several burglar’s tools: boltcutters, knives, and a small crowbar. In coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department, he was transferred and put in jail in MPD’s second district.

According to Georgetown University’s Chief of Police Jay Gruber, the man arrested yesterday does not fit the description of the men accused of recently systematically burglarizing both off-campus student residences and on-campus residence hall locations such as McCarthy Hall. The men fitting that description have not yet been caught, though DPS says they are working with area Universities such as American, Gallaudet, George Washington, and UDC to find the suspects in those cases.

The suspect arrested yesterday was charged with one count of attempted unlawful entry, though he was observed trying multiple doors. He had a bicycle parked nearby the scene and is believed to have been acting alone. The suspect had an extensive criminal record for burglary and breaking and entering. In fact, he was on probation and was wearing an ankle bracelet at the time of his arrest.

Gruber didn’t immediately have the name of the man arrested, though Vox will update this post if we find more information.

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View Campus Crime Watch, May 2012 in a larger map

After eight months, Vox‘s campus crime watch is back. To date in May, DPS has reported 18 crimes on campus, compared to 31 crimes reported in the same period last year. There were five assaults, including two assaults on police officers. At least five students total were arrested and a non-student was caught carrying a concealed firearm on West Road.

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As Hoyas wrapped up their fall semester classes yesterday, hundreds of Occupy protestors from across the country converged on K Street NW for “Day of Action: Occupiers Unite”, which targeted the lobbying industry. One protester who was arrested, a 75-year old Methodist minister from Tennessee, told the Washington Post, “K Street is the place to be if you’re going to stop the moneybags who are corrupting our government.” Snarling traffic, the protestors blocked streets in the K Street area for much of the day.

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Photos: Lucia He

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Late Saturday night, Derrik Sweeney (COL ’13) (far right), arrived at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and was greeted by his waiting family. Sweeney, who had been studying abroad at the American University in Cairo, was detained last week with two other American students for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at Egyptian security officials during anti-government protests in Tahrir Square.

After several uncertain days of interrogation, the three students were ordered released Thursday by an Egyptian judge. The three students left Egypt to return to the United States Friday night and Saturday morning.

Speaking at a press conference at the airport, Sweeney thanked “the Universe for being so beautiful and good.” He also described in detail the circumstances surrounding his arrest. “Some people claimed they were taking us to a safe place,” Sweeney said. “And then that was that.”

The first night of his detainment, Sweeney believed that he and the other American students “were kinda outside the legal process.” In later interviews with Today and Good Morning America, he said the students were struck repeatedly by their captors in the head. At the airport, Sweeney said, “I don’t think I have any lasting scars fortunately.”

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Update, 9:56 a.m., November 26: Sweeney has left Egypt, and will arrive in Saint Louis late tonight. The other two detained students have also left Egypt.

Original post, 5:17 p.m.: Derrik Sweeney (COL ’13) (far right), who was detained early Tuesday morning by Egyptian authorities for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at government personnel during protests in Cairo, has been released and will be arriving in the United States tomorrow night. He will arrive in St. Louis, Missouri, appear on The Today Show Sunday morning, and then return home to Jefferson City for his family’s (delayed) Thanksgiving dinner.

His sister Nicole Sweeney tweeted this afternoon, “Derrik is officially out of police custody and I’m so happy I could cry.”

Vox‘s original story on his detainment is available here.

This post will be updated as we get more information.

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Update, 4:15 p.m.: In an e-mail to Vox, Nicole Sweeney said the reason the her family has been given for the delay in Sweeney’s release, which a judge had ordered earlier today, is that after a required medical exam was completed, Egyptian authorities decided there was not enough time to file release paperwork before the work day ended. Because Friday and Saturday are the weekend in Egypt, the next work day is Sunday, which is when the three will be released.

According to her e-mail, the three are sleeping on the floor of the state prosecutor’s office “with two blankets between them,” not in a jail cell.

Update, 3:12 p.m.: According to Sweeney’s father, Kevin Sweeney, the three students will not be released until Sunday. In an interview with CBS Radio News, the elder Sweeney said the three are being held in “appalling” conditions without furniture. Sweeney’s sister Nicole tweeted, “I just had the rug pulled out from under my #ridiculouslygrateful Thanksgiving. No release yet…”

Earlier, there were conflicting reports about whether or not the three had already been released. President DeGioia’s statement indicated they had been released already.

Update, 10:43 a.m.: University President John J. DeGioia released the following statement this morning:

We are grateful for the news this morning that our student, Derrik Sweeney, and the other two American students have been released in Cairo. Our entire Georgetown community is deeply grateful to all those whose prompt attention and work led to their release, especially officials at the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy in Cairo, and the American University in Cairo. Our thoughts and prayers have been with the Sweeney family and the family and friends of the other two American students. As we give thanks, we continue to keep them in our prayers.

Update, 10:39 a.m., November 24: A Cairo judge ordered the release of the three detained students, including Sweeney.

According to a telephone interview with Sweeney’s parents for the Washington Post, Sweeney will be flying home tomorrow. “I’m so happy right now I can’t even express my joy. He’s just such a positive kid. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say about everything,” said his mother, Joy Sweeney, to the Post.

Update, 6:56 p.m.: A few minutes ago, Nicole Sweeney, Derrik’s older sister, tweeted, “There will be a hearing tomorrow after all. They should be either charged or released at that time.”

According to an AFP report earlier today, Cairo’s prosecutor general had ordered that Sweeney and the other two students be detained for four days as their questioning continues. The students were being questioned in the presence of US Embassy personnel, a defense attorney, and a translator.

Update, 11:55 a.m.: According to Nicole Sweeney, Derrik’s mother Joy was able to speak to him today. She also tweeted, “Derrik indicated that treatment was poor until the last 24 hours or so. I owe additional thanks to everyone who helped spread the word.”

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View Campus Crime Watch: October 12-18 in a larger map

Earlier this week, the Hoya reported a rise in bicycle thefts at Georgetown. Vox recommends that students register their bikes with the National Bike Registry. (Bicycle registration, which was required in D.C. until 2008, is potentially the only way to recover a stolen bicycle.) When locking up those bikes, remember: U-locks with steel cuffs are the best, and always lock the front wheel.

In other news, Fall is well underway on the Hilltop, which means one thing—gourd-like squash are being displayed on porches. Sadly, there’s no pumpkin registry in D.C., so be vigilant against this seasonal blight of pumpkin larceny.

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This past Saturday, approximately sixty Georgetown students joined the thousands who gathered in D.C. to protest recent Arizona immigration laws and to demand comprehensive immigration reform from Congress.

While the rally itself was expected, what happened next was not—twelve current and former Georgetown students were arrested at the event.

David Schwartz (SFS ’12), one of the arrested students, said that the act and the arrests had been “set up beforehand,” claiming that the students expected to be arrested for their actions.

Schwartz also suggested that Park Service Officers had expected to arrest protesters during the rally.

The students, who were arrested for sitting down on the sidewalk outside of the White House, were promptly taken to the Anacostia Police Station for processing. (Protests outside the White House must be constantly moving.) The students were released the same day.

“Civil disobedience is an important and a worthwhile tool to me and I don’t think it should be written off simply because it is ‘disobedience,’” Schwartz said. “In this issue, it was completely warranted in order to get the attention of the media and of President Obama himself.”

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