Vandalism Investigation

On Friday December 6, an alumnus had their car damaged. I shared the news in an email on December 9 and promised a full investigation. Fortunately, we did have a camera that had the damaged car prominently in view. The video footage was reviewed carefully for the entire night. Although there was a lot of activity around the car, at no point did anyone approach the car with malicious intent – no one coming with a hammer or was seen hitting the car. The security which patrols the campus overnight did pass the vehicle at 2am; the guard paused but then drove on; he did not see anything at 2am. 

So, we have a mystery. How and why did the car get damaged? One possibility that those in cold climates will already know about is that from time-to-time car windows can just spontaneously shatter (normally because of temperatures below freezing). Now we cannot be sure that this is what happened, but it is a possibility.

It is important to remember that we should always wait for the completion of an investigation before reaching a conclusion. Our security review will continue, and the planned security meeting will happen next semester. However, we are relieved that this particular incident was not more threatening or sinister.

The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary