(Photos courtesy of Mark Belcher)
By Joe Pinter, @JPinter93
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (Oct. 8) – St. Bonaventure University staff called in the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s on Monday afternoon after workers saw a student drop a suspicious bag inside the Quick Arts Center.
At approximately 2, a student wearing a hoodie stashed a bag inside the north entrance to the Quick Center, near the Devereux Hall quad. After faculty noticed that the student left almost immediately after dropping the bag, it notified Safety & Security officers, according to university officials.
Vito Czyz, director of Safety & Security, said he didn’t want to take any chances and almost immediately set up a perimeter 150 feet around the north entrance to the Quick Center and contacted the Sheriff’s Office. The staff inside the building moved to the south end.
The Sheriff’s bomb-sniffing dog determined the bag was not explosive, and an officer in proper gear searched slowly through the bag and found what appeared to be books, Czyz said.
The officers called the student and checked his dorm room once they found his ID card and passport inside the bag. They waited around for almost an hour in the Quick Center until the student came back for his bag. He seemed shocked at what he walked into, Czyz said.
After questioning the student, the officers still weren’t sure why he left the bag in the foyer, but the student understood why he was being questioned, Czyz said.
The student’s name remains anonymous.
Another university official said Monday reminded them of five years ago when a photographer left their heavy bag in the woods by Doyle Hall and a student found it. Safety & Security officers took the same steps then to ensure everyone’s safety.
Anyone with possible information about any suspicious activity is reminded to call Safety & Security at 375-2525.
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