A student was surprised by a flat tire on her way to observe an elementary school class.
She was more surprised when she was told someone had slashed her tire.
“I’m not mad at what happened,” said Kara Klamm, education senior. “I’m just frustrated that someone would think that it’s okay to vandalize someone else’s property, and I had to suffer for it.”
Klamm was parked in the Methodist Hall dormitory parking garage and didn’t realize she had a flat until she left campus.
She spent about four hours waiting for roadside assistance before going to a tire shop, she said.
“I had to give up my whole afternoon,” Klamm said. “I had to cancel school-related meetings and plans to get my tire fixed.”
She was told by mechanics the placement and precision of the cut indicated someone had used a knife on her tire.
Klamm filed a police report. Officers told her they would see if there was anything else they could do, she said.
“Like I told the police, I’m not mad about it because I wasn’t hurt and my car wasn’t damaged other than the tire, but I just wanted them to know that this happened here on campus,” Klamm said.
Klamm has been the only student to report a slashed tire on campus, said Bradd Brown, chief of police.
“If it’s happening, I’m not aware so it’s not being reported to us,” he said. “We want them to report it to us so we’re aware if there is a problem. That’s really important.”
The police will file a report, check cameras if they’re available, and talk to the victim when something like this occurs to determine what exactly happened, Brown said.
The only campus surveillance cameras that cover parking lots are placed outside Methodist Hall and Cokesbury Apartments.
There are cameras that mainly cover the entrances to the Methodist Hall parking garage and some that cover a little bit of Cokesbury, Brown said.
Some students are concerned about campus safety.
Sarah Kelly, business administration sophomore, said her tires haven’t been slashed, but she’s seen several flat tires this past week.
“It’s just a little creepy and honestly brings up campus safety in a new way,” Kelly said.
Brown said he encourages students to report vandalism and suspicious behavior.
“We want all the students to be aware and be mindful of your surroundings always,” he said. “Just generally be aware.”
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