The Sandspur

Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Rollins Campus Security THE CRIMINAL: Campus Security identified this man as the one responsible for the recent harassment of female Rollins students.

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and students at Rollins have many gifts to be thankful for: a top-notch education (number one in the South), dedicated faculty members, exciting social events, and great friends. But what about the gift of safety? Of recent, this has become a question of great concern to students, parents, and the Winter Park community at large.

Within the past week, the Rollins community has experienced several violent and dangerous events. After a stabbing in Winter Park, a stranger harassing female students on campus, and a shooting off of Interstate 4, it is time to address the issue of safety.

On Oct. 31, a man was stabbed in the parking lot of a Park Avenue restaurant. According to police spokesman Officer Jim Whitman, victim James Manley, age 54, had just finished dining at the Park Plaza Gardens around 11:10 p.m. and was walking to his car with friend Concetta Giuliano when two robbers in Halloween costumes confronted them in the parking lot. Manley was stabbed in the chest and quickly rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center. The stabbing occurred at 11:11 p.m., a time when the majority of the Rollins community was out enjoying Halloween festivities. This event is troubling because many Rollins students were off campus and could have been in the Park Avenue area at that time. Also, with the parking garage so close, it is likely that there were at least a few students in close proximity. What is even more troubling is that the two men have still not been brought into the custody of law enforcement. One suspect was described as being a young male of unidentified race, above six feet with a thin to medium build. The second suspect was described as a young African American male about 5-foot 6-inches with a similar build.

The second event of concern, occurring on the Rollins campus, was the harassment of female students by a man now identified as Abdulkhader Saleh Maisari. The nature of each incident was similar; Maisari would approach female students, act as though he was a potential student, and then demand their phone numbers to meet up and "discuss Rollins." Although no females were injured during these confrontations, several were forcibly grabbed once they tried to turn away. Campus Security closely monitored the events and worked hand in hand with Winter Park police to try to locate and detain Maisari.

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