Police serve Sigma Chi warrant
Chase Purdy
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: News
Junior Dylan Kessler never expected the police to return with a warrant. But they did, ending a three-day period in which Michigan state police slammed more than a dozen students with minor in possession of alcohol charges.
Kessler, president of Sigma Chi fraternity, said police approached the fraternity house about 1 a.m. Monday morning. They requested entrance on suspicion of underage drinking, but left when Kessler told them he'd feel more comfortable after seeing a warrant. Sigma Chi was not throwing a party that night. Several residents slept in their rooms.
Three hours later, Kessler woke to the sound of police entering the residence hall. They corralled him and his sleepy-eyed fraternity brothers into a room on the first floor and gave them breathalizer tests, Kessler said.
Several Sigma Chi members were charged with minors in possession of alcohol.
Sgt. Doug Schutter, of the Jonesville state police post, said police saw several people with alcohol enter the Sigma Chi house. He said the officers suspected some of the students were under 21 years old.
Schutter said police obtained a warrant and returned.
"The troopers were driving down the road to get to someplace else when they came across this," he said. "They took action when they saw what they saw."
Dean of Men Aaron Petersen said the police hardly ever request warrants to enter campus residence halls. Police typically call him to the scene, such as when Alpha Tau Omega fraternity faced marijuana possession charges two years ago, he said. This time, police told him nothing beforehand.
"We had security around all night and there was no activity that night," he said. "At least I didn't get reports about it."
The college deans normally work closely with city and county police departments, but rarely with state police, Petersen said.
Petersen said police sometimes ask to enter college facilities to continue an investigation, and it is his practice to cooperate.
Kessler, president of Sigma Chi fraternity, said police approached the fraternity house about 1 a.m. Monday morning. They requested entrance on suspicion of underage drinking, but left when Kessler told them he'd feel more comfortable after seeing a warrant. Sigma Chi was not throwing a party that night. Several residents slept in their rooms.
Three hours later, Kessler woke to the sound of police entering the residence hall. They corralled him and his sleepy-eyed fraternity brothers into a room on the first floor and gave them breathalizer tests, Kessler said.
Several Sigma Chi members were charged with minors in possession of alcohol.
Sgt. Doug Schutter, of the Jonesville state police post, said police saw several people with alcohol enter the Sigma Chi house. He said the officers suspected some of the students were under 21 years old.
Schutter said police obtained a warrant and returned.
"The troopers were driving down the road to get to someplace else when they came across this," he said. "They took action when they saw what they saw."
Dean of Men Aaron Petersen said the police hardly ever request warrants to enter campus residence halls. Police typically call him to the scene, such as when Alpha Tau Omega fraternity faced marijuana possession charges two years ago, he said. This time, police told him nothing beforehand.
"We had security around all night and there was no activity that night," he said. "At least I didn't get reports about it."
The college deans normally work closely with city and county police departments, but rarely with state police, Petersen said.
Petersen said police sometimes ask to enter college facilities to continue an investigation, and it is his practice to cooperate.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 10
FrankBlacke
FrankBlacke
posted 9/08/08 @ 12:45 AM EST
Sounds dicey. Nice report.
Hugh
posted 9/08/08 @ 9:45 AM EST
What a frightening turn of events. Kudos to the county and local police for their professionalism and respectful demeanor. Shame on the Michigan State Police. (Continued…)
Matt
posted 9/08/08 @ 2:47 PM EST
"We have a tendency when we come to a crime scene to take more than we really need," he said. "You never know when you get to a scene that's full of chaos, confusion and tumult what item is going to blow the case wide open. (Continued…)
Mr. P
posted 9/08/08 @ 3:08 PM EST
This is an absolute atrocity. Since leaving the college last spring and falling out of the loop, I decided to meander back to the collegian to see what is happening. (Continued…)
Royce
posted 9/10/08 @ 11:58 PM EST
Is that slovenly state trooper that likes to dress in full black paramilitary gear still trolling around the area? If so, I sure his cheeto-stained fingers were instrumental in stopping these heinous crimes from being perpetrated at a FRAT HOUSE on a COLLEGE campus. (Continued…)
William
posted 9/14/08 @ 8:51 PM EST
Rifling through one's personal contacts to single out others for arrest and prosecution is literally a Gestapo tactic.
Alcohol Rehab
posted 9/24/08 @ 8:04 PM EST
Alcohol continues to be a problem in colleges...we're never going to get rid of it completely, but we can reach out to make a difference
Dave Kellogg
posted 9/28/08 @ 7:34 PM EST
So what's the rest of the story? The Collegian had and FOI Act request, what did they find? I think the state police need to take a trip up to East Lansing or Ann Arbor if they want to find students doing things the shouldn't be. (Continued…)
california sober living
posted 10/28/08 @ 2:01 PM EST
A warrant? Really? Is that really what the police should be focusing on - raiding frat houses?
Randy Spelling
posted 4/02/09 @ 3:14 PM EST
Alcohol in a frat house?!? Shocking!
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