After receiving several police reports of incidents occurring in the campus residence halls, The Rider spoke with Sergio Martinez, UTRGV director of Housing and Residence Life, about safety guidelines and emergency response protocols.
In the latest report, a female student called the UTRGV Police Department at 8:19 p.m. March 6 to report that her non-affiliated ex-boyfriend allegedly forced his way into her room at Unity Hall on the Edinburg campus and physically assaulted her, according to the administrative report.
The ex-boyfriend then took the student’s phone, which is “believed to have contained evidence of one or more other offenses he was charged with,” and exited the residence, said UTRGV Assistant Police Chief Van Slusser.
In an interview with The Rider, Slusser said that at some point after the ex-boyfriend left Unity Hall, the victim followed him into the parking lot in an attempt to get her phone back. He then proceeded to assault her again and left the area.
Shortly after, University Police located the ex-boyfriend’s vehicle parked in a smoke shop parking lot on the 1600 block of West University Drive.
The ex-boyfriend was arrested and transported to the Edinburg Municipal Jail and is facing charges of burglary with intent to commit assault, a second-degree felony; tampering or fabricating physical evidence, a third-degree felony; and unlawful disclosure or promotion of intimate visual material, a state jail felony.
In the state of Texas, a second-degree felony is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a third-degree felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and a state jail felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The three felonies are also punishable with a fine of up to $10,000 each.
Slusser said Brandon Lee Beebe, 22, from Mission, was arraigned March 7 in the Edinburg Municipal Court. Bond was set at $15,000 on the burglary of habitation charge, a $15,000 personal recognizance bond on the tamper/fabrication of physical evidence charge and a $10,000 personal recognizance bond on the threat to publish intimate visual material charge.
“It’s very important after these [types] of criminal offenses occur that we receive word of that from either witnesses or the victims of the crime,” Slusser said. “It is important to call us as soon as possible. We were able to make an apprehension in this case because we were notified very, very soon after this offense occurred. So, we were able to respond quickly and then apprehend the suspect before he got too far away from campus. And that was due, in large part, to individuals calling us and making that report as soon as they could.”
As previously reported by The Rider, two sexual assaults occurred in early February at Heritage Hall on the Edinburg campus.
This report is the fourth reported assault at an on-campus residence this semester.
Martinez told The Rider that in this case, the victim contacted University Police directly and information about the incident was sent to the Office of Institutional Equity, so the department of Housing and Residence Life had no involvement.
Aside from campus police, he said an administrator on call is also notified of the situation.
“That’s usually one of our housing coordinators who also lives on campus, someone with, maybe, a professional background that can provide some professional judgment and help coordinate a response with police or the resident assistant, depending on the situation and the complexities of it,” Martinez said.
When discussing what security measures are in place at the residence halls on both the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses, he said the dorms utilize access control.
“So, for example, in Unity Hall, in order to access the facility, the exterior doors in the main and wing buildings are locked and you need your student ID to access the building,” Martinez said. “In Casa Bella, at the apartments, obviously, there’s a different design. They’re more outdoor type entry points, but our gates do have, also, that access control. So if you drive in, you will have to use your V OneCard to access the property.”
Resident assistants “enforce rules, respond to crises, mentor, and build community within the residency,” according to the department of Housing and Residence Life website.
If they witness a violent altercation, Martinez said part of their emergency response process is to immediately contact campus police.
“That’s the first call,” he said. “They’re also trained to also keep safe, so, you know, we want them to definitely notify someone but also not engage regarding assaults.”
Other measures Martinez mentioned are security cameras focused on the residence facilities, main entry points and parking lots, which University Police monitor.
Depending on the information shared with the housing department and if a resident feels unsafe, Martinez said accommodations can be made to relocate the student if a suspect is not apprehended after committing a crime at the residence halls.
“I think we could take some reasonable, you know, interim measures,” Martinez said. “For example, if we have space, we could relocate students the night of, right, to a different location that maybe provides them some privacy. If there’s any other kind of special accommodations we could make, for example, through the student code of conduct, we can issue what we call a ‘no contact order’ between residents or even suspend visitation. … I think if there’s a measure we can take in an emergency situation and the student is willing to cooperate and respond to those measures, then by all means, we’ll definitely implement them.”
