Crime down for first week of students compared to last year

While the Morgantown Police Department was busier the first week West Virginia University students returned to town than the previous week, officers weren’t quite as busy as they were in 2018.
The department saw a 14.5% reduction in calls for service from Aug. 15-25, compared to last year, according to preliminary numbers released this week by Morgantown Police Chief Ed Preston.
Citations and the number of vehicle accidents also declined compared to last year.
A number of possible reasons could have contributed to the across-the-board decreases, Morgantown Communications Manager Andrew Stacy said. Those include ongoing coordination between the city and WVU, neighborhood changes and a consistent message that poor and illegal behavior isn’t tolerated.
He also cited welcome week events on the Monday and Tuesday after the move in weekend as a possible reason.
Officers issued 150 criminal citations, for offenses such as underage possession of alcohol and open container. That’s a decrease of 29 from 2018, according to Preston.
The majority of citations were related to alcohol. Ninety citations were issued for underage possession of alcohol, almost two-thirds of the total number of citations for the 10-day period. Another 24 were issued for open containers.
“Alcohol violations make up by far the majority of violations during the first several weeks of students return to school,” Stacy said. “These have traditionally been problems that occur in high density alcohol environments and areas where large groups congregate.”
Other citations include offenses such as trespassing, loud noise, littering, public intoxication and false ID.
One business, Blaze Nightclub, on Walnut Street, was issued a citation for allowing people to leave with open containers.
The MPD received seven less crash reports this year, for a total of 21, Preston said.
A total of 26 people were arrested during the period, for a variety of offenses. Many of those arrested are outside of the traditional age range for college students.
The number of citations and arrests are not final, Preston said. Not all of the citations have been processed and some warrants haven’t been served.
There is also at least one ongoing investigation.
Kizzy Peters, 23, of Morgantown, was operating a club at 720 Powell Ave. without the proper license. The West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration and MPD seized more than 40 gallons of liquor, along with beer and malt beverages, Preston said.
A banner outside of the address identifies it as Honcho’s Hookah Lounge.
Peters was cited for operating without a liquor license, selling without a license, selling beer without a license and selling drinks in a public place without a license.
Due to the ongoing investigation, more information is not available, Stacy said.