Officials say it's too early to tell, but crime seem to follow past trendsJaclyn BrenningDaily Egyptian
With crimes ranging from homicides to shootings and delivery driver robberies to aggravated batteries, some local police officials said the spring semester has kept them on guard.
Annual reports show crime rates around Carbondale and on campus this semester follow past trends, with aggravated assaults and batteries fluctuating over the past five years. But SIUC Police Chief Todd Sigler said there may be an increase in people resolving confrontations physically.
Three homicides were perhaps the most violent of the crimes reported in the area this semester. Two Carbondale residents were slain in separate incidents in late January.
Police found the burned body of SIUC senior Christopher Gandy, 23, in a cemetery near Murphysboro Jan. 28. Three people have been charged with the murder and are set to face trial this summer.
On the same day, Larry D. Williams, 23, of Carbondale was shot near Fred's Dance Barn in Carterville and later died of his injuries. The investigation continues but so far no suspects have been named.
About three weeks ago, Eddie Young Jr. of East St. Louis was stabbed to death in rural Carbondale. Aaron Burton, 36, of Carbondale was arrested and charged with two counts a first-degree murder and is set make a court appearance later this month.
Jackson County Sheriff Bob Burns said it has not been uncommon for the county to see one murder a year. Burns said he could not remember a homicide in Jackson County since November of 2002, and said he could see how two murders happening so close to one another this semester might have frightened some people.
But once the number of murders is averaged throughout the years, Burns said he did not think there was an increase.
The homicides aside, Carbondale Interim Police Chief Bob Ledbetter said he doesn't think Carbondale is seeing a significant increase in crime rates. The nature of the crimes fluctuates from year to year and it is almost impossible to say whether this year has been worse or better than previous years, he said.
"We have no control over who is going to commit the crime or when they are going to commit the crime," he said. "You can't predict it. But it stays pretty consistent."
Carbondale Police records from the past show anywhere from 87 aggravated batteries in 2003 to more than 100 last year. So far this year police have recorded about 40 aggravated batteries, and Ledbetter said there is no reason to believe it will not follow previous trends.
The most recent aggravated battery was reported last weekend after SIUC student Jason Cermak allegedly stabbed fellow student Jason Heinz on West College Street. Police said they could not say why the stabbing occurred but said the injuries were not life threatening. Cermak was arrested and taken to Jackson County Jail in Murphysboro.
The stabbing may be just another number, but putting these numbers into perspective is important, Sigler said. University Police recorded less than 20 aggravated batteries in 2004 and 24 last year. Records show about 14 aggravated batteries reported between January and April of this year.
"If everything remains consistent, we look like we should come at about the same as we have in the past couple of years," Sigler said.
Although crime rate in Carbondale and Jackson County this semester follows past trends, some local officials said they are seeing a growing tendency for people to resolve problems physically.
"Whenever something involves our students, that's when it bothers me," Sigler said. "One is too many to have of any of these incidents."
Some of these crimes have left students saying they feel sick and disillusioned.
Matt Kracht, a sophomore from Sullivan studying pre-law, was shot in the lower back last month after two men demanded his money and he refused to give it up. Although not critically injured, Kracht left the University for the remainder of the semester and said he was not sure if he would return in the fall. He said if he does return in the fall, he would return with feelings very different from the ones he came with.
"My perspectives have definitely changed," Kracht has said.
