Three floors of Scott Hall vandalized, student arrested
A vandalized section of the first floor in Scott Hall on Thursday. Students reported torn down cameras, ripped posters and missing ceiling tiles.
September 15, 2022
On Thursday, residents of Scott Hall woke up to the first three floors of the dorm in disarray after someone had vandalized the building.
Vihang Thakkar, freshman in Business and resident of Scott Hall, said cameras were torn down, posters were ripped and ceiling tiles laid on the ground.
“I saw it this morning when I woke up — I was going to the bathroom,” Thakker said. “You don’t expect that.”
An 18-year-old University student and Scott Hall resident, William Turk, was arrested for criminal damage to state supported property in connection with the incident, according to Pat Wade, director of strategic communications for the University of Illinois Police Department.
Wade said that missing and damaged property was found in Turk’s dorm room.
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According to Wade, UIPD officers arrived at 8:46 a.m. after University Housing staff “reported extensive criminal damage.” Housing staff estimated the value of the damage to be between $5,000 and $10,000.
“Officers observed that as many as 23 exit signs had been pulled from the ceiling, exposing wires and damaging ceiling tiles,” Wade said in an email. “Additionally, six fire extinguishers were missing from their designated locations.”
After reviewing security camera footage, UIPD determined that the damage was caused by a single offender between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Thursday, according to Wade.
According to Alma Sealine, director of University Housing, only a select number of individuals approved by UIPD are allowed to monitor cameras for crucial situations.
“The students were not alerted as we were able to take care of the situation quickly with UIPD,” Sealine said.
Yatin Gupta, freshman in the Engineering, felt uncomfortable as a result of the incident.
According to Gupta, he has not heard many cases of vandalism around Scott Hall or other dormitories.
“I heard of other crimes, like there’s been a lot of robbery … but when it comes to vandalism, this is the first time,” Gupta said.
Gupta thinks the University should be transparent about the crimes that occurred and share the ramifications of those at fault.
“If they make the consequences more aware among the students, then students will … take it more significantly,” Gupta said.
“I thought we were better than this, you know?” said Nathan Hutherson, freshman in Engineering.
