Photo Courtesy of President David Wippman
On Feb 13., the Hamilton community was notified by all-campus email of a criminal incident in Clinton, NY, that concluded with a vehicle being abandoned near the bottom of College Hill Road. While trying to evade the Kirkland Police, the vehicle, which was stolen, crashed into another vehicle in the driveway of President Wippman’s house. According to the email, “a large cache of drugs was found in the car.” The
Utica Observer-Dispatch
noted that authorities were originally called in reference to “people throwing trash out a vehicle’s windows in the area of Utica Street.”
At the time, the campus was alerted of three potential persons of interest: two females, one with curly hair, and one male wearing a tan jacket fled on foot from the scene. The three were last seen running down College Hill Road toward Route 233.
As of the morning of Feb 14., one of the female suspects “with possible connections” to the incident was arrested in the village at a gas station on Utica Street. In response, the Clinton Central School District instituted a “lock-out” protocol, thereby preventing anyone from entering school buildings.
Over the last week,
The Spectator
has secured more details regarding this incident.
“It was quite a surprise to find a meth lab parked in the driveway,” President Wippman told
The Spectator
. “I’m grateful no one was hurt and that local law enforcement and Campus Safety responded so rapidly and effectively.”
“Given the drugs involved, the situation could have been a lot worse.”
According to Francis Coots, Hamilton’s Director of Campus Safety and a 30-year New York State police commander, the stolen vehicle, while evading police, entered and subsequently crashed in the driveway of President Wippman’s home on the bottom of College Hill Road.
“The vehicle in question tried to evade law enforcement by entering the west driveway to President Wippman’s residence and as it passed by the main entrance it struck a vehicle which was parked in the driveway. The collision was relatively minor in nature as there was no damage to either vehicle. Before the police could catch up to the fleeing vehicle, the operator fled into the woods behind the residence. The pursuing officers attempted to apprehend the operator but he was able to elude them in the wooded area behind the President’s house,” Coots said.
Additionally, he confirmed that the the vehicle was not only filled with drugs, but was also operating as a mobile methamphetamine lab, as, “Upon returning to the fleeing vehicle, the officers discovered drug paraphernalia, drugs and the remnants of an illegal methamphetamine lab.”
According to the
Utica Observer-Dispatch
, methamphetamine labs present a unique threat of fire, as “First responders say dealing with a methamphetamine lab fire means extra training for firefighters and investigators because of the potential for a hazardous situation.”
Drug ingredients, which can include substances with the potential to explode such as lithium (found in batteries) and red phosphorus (often found in road flares), are considered to be “an explosive device,” according to Rome Fire Chief Ronald Brement. “They can add to the intensity of a fire.”
Due to the combustible nature of such labs, those living in the President’s home were advised to move from the potential range of the blast.
“The officers, recognizing the volatility of the items that make up the illicit lab, cleared the area, alerted the occupants of President Wippman’s residence to move to an area away from the driveway and the State Police Contaminated Crime Scene Emergency Response Team (CCSERT) was requested to respond to mitigate the lab,” Coots said. “Once the lab was mitigated and rendered safe, the evidence and scene was turned back over to the Kirkland Police Department for further investigation.”
“The potential for a fire inside the vehicle was elevated due to the volatility of the chemicals.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police at 315–853–2924.
