Mouse leads to death threat
By: Ana Breton
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: News
After a mechanical engineering student reportedly made a death threat against a peer, administrators in the department stepped in and placed both students in counseling.
Kent Udell, chair of the department of mechanical engineering, intervened after he was tipped that a student wanted to fight to the death, he said.
The victim told U Police Department officer Clayton Binks that he had received a death threat from another student on Oct. 31. The suspect told the victim that he wanted to "fight him until one (was) dead," according to the police report.
Both the victim and the suspect are graduate students in the department. Neither the police department nor Udell released their names, because the case is still under investigation, U Police Sgt. Lynn Rohland said.
Kent Curtis, who is investigating the case, did not return phone calls.
Since the victim reported the threat to police, both students have been part of meetings held by Debra Mascaro, research assistant professor in the department, who could not be reached for comment.
The two students have also attended ongoing sessions in the University Counseling Center, Udell said.
The alleged feud between the two students began during a lab session when the suspect told a group of people that he had seen a mouse in the building. The victim suggested that they should call pest control, which the suspect became angry about, according to the police report.
Udell said there might have been a language barrier between the two students and the suspect might have perceived the suggestion as an insult. The victim is from China, and the suspect is from South Korea, according to the police report.
"It could have been cultural differences," Udell said. "What could have been something innocent in one culture could have been taken more seriously (in the other)."
After the incident in the lab, the suspect allegedly made the death threat toward the other student and began to follow him around and send him threatening e-mails, which were not released.
Kent Udell, chair of the department of mechanical engineering, intervened after he was tipped that a student wanted to fight to the death, he said.
The victim told U Police Department officer Clayton Binks that he had received a death threat from another student on Oct. 31. The suspect told the victim that he wanted to "fight him until one (was) dead," according to the police report.
Both the victim and the suspect are graduate students in the department. Neither the police department nor Udell released their names, because the case is still under investigation, U Police Sgt. Lynn Rohland said.
Kent Curtis, who is investigating the case, did not return phone calls.
Since the victim reported the threat to police, both students have been part of meetings held by Debra Mascaro, research assistant professor in the department, who could not be reached for comment.
The two students have also attended ongoing sessions in the University Counseling Center, Udell said.
The alleged feud between the two students began during a lab session when the suspect told a group of people that he had seen a mouse in the building. The victim suggested that they should call pest control, which the suspect became angry about, according to the police report.
Udell said there might have been a language barrier between the two students and the suspect might have perceived the suggestion as an insult. The victim is from China, and the suspect is from South Korea, according to the police report.
"It could have been cultural differences," Udell said. "What could have been something innocent in one culture could have been taken more seriously (in the other)."
After the incident in the lab, the suspect allegedly made the death threat toward the other student and began to follow him around and send him threatening e-mails, which were not released.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
karen
posted 11/28/07 @ 4:56 PM MST
sounds like a bunch of drama queen crap to me. were smart mechanical engineer's but we haven't got enough common sense to what people mean when they talk about catching a mouse. (Continued…)
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