Keely Damara/Courier
Jett Even (left) and Nate Degraffmreaidt run a play during Lancers football practice on Tuesday evening, Sept. 29 at Pasadena City College's Robinson Stadium.
Lancers football players arrested,
accused of robbery and assault
Kristen Luna
Editor-in-Chief
Two Lancers football players are back on
the field after being arrested before Saturday’s
game on suspicion of assaulting and robbing
a local Pasadena man.
Quarterback Jett Even, 19, and wide receiv¬
er Nathaniel Degraffmreaidt, 20, were taken
into custody and booked along with Pasadena
resident Taije Glenn-Ackles, 25, on suspicion
of armed robbery and assault, police said.
According to Ricardo Santiago, a spokes¬
man for the Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office, prosecutors intend to
charge Degraffmreaidt but those charges have
not yet been filed. Citing insufficient evidence,
Santiago said that Even and Glen-Ackles will
not be charged.
The alleged incident took place on Sept.
14 in the 300 block of South Sierra Madre
Boulevard where police responded to a report
of a 20-year-old assault victim, Pasadena Po¬
lice Lt. Mark Goodman said. The victim was
transported to the hospital and questioned
by detectives, who learned he had also been
robbed.
Citing an ongoing investigation, coaches
and administrators would not say whether
Even or Degraffmreaidt would face any
discipline related to the arrests. They were
each seen on the field practicing Tuesday
afternoon.
“As a result of an ongoing Pasadena Police
Department investigation, the college can not
comment on this matter,” said Superinten¬
dent-President Rajen Vurdien in a statement.
Degraffmreaidt, Even and football coach
Thom Kaumeyer all declined to comment.
According to sheriff’s booking records,
Even posted $50,000 bond and was released
late Saturday while Degraffmreaidt post¬
ed bond and was released Sunday night.
Glen-Ackles is still in custody.
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PCC’s hit-and-run problem
Rachel Ho
Staff Writer
At least nine cases of hit-and-run have been
reported in PCC parking lots since the beginning
of the fall 201 5 semester, according to Campus
Police blotters, although it is likely that there have
been many more of such incidents that have gone
unreported.
The first two weeks of school are typically when
most hit-and-runs occur, after which students tend
to become more acquainted and “familiarized with
the traffic in the parking structures, thus lowering
[the frequency of] these types of incidents,” said
Steven Matchan, Interim Chief and Director of
PCC Police and Safety Services.
Such was the case for Kimseang Chea, who
has already been rendered a victim of hit-and-run
twice by the third week of school this semester.
These incidents left a dent and scraped a signifi¬
cant portion of paint off his car. He was unable to
claim insurance as he did not have any information
about who the culprit was, and the car remains
unrepaired to this date. Judging from hearsay, he
didn’t file a report with Campus Police because he
did not believe that it would help matters.
“I don’t feel okay at all,” Chea said. “The car is
not new, but you just park your car and someone
hits you...”
How does Campus Police handle hit-and-run
reports?
“We will gather and document the victim’s
name, vehicle information, insurance information
and the location of the vehicle when it was struck,”
Matchan said. “We will ensure this information is
documented in the dispatch log and review video
of the area. If we are unable to identify a suspect
and if there is no video, we will [still] document
that information in the dispatch log.”
If information about the suspect is provided
when the report is filed or if a suspect is found via
investigation, Matchan added that video footage
from surveillance cameras in the area would be re¬
viewed, saved as evidence and shown to the victim.
“Once we have identified a suspect, we will com¬
plete a report and pursue a criminal filing,” he said.
Whether a victim is allowed to view video footage
of the hit-and-run is subject to video availability.
Penalties for hit-and-run culprits may include
receiving a misdemeanor citation, paying fines,
paying for the victim’s damages, and in more severe
cases, going to court.
Khuong Nguyen had his car hit twice in Parking
Lot 5 earlier this spring in another case of hit-and-
run. The car, which he had owned for less than a
year, was hit once in the “front of the driver’s side”
and once in the “rear of the passenger’s side.”
A large area of one of the back wheels was also
damaged. Although he did not report the case to
Campus Police as he was in a rush to attend an ap¬
pointment, Nguyen believes that they would have
solved the case because they have access to security
camera footage in the parking structures.
Given the prevalence of hit-and-runs at PCC
and the ramifications it can have on the victims,
HIT AND RUN PAGE 2
PCC ranks
number one in
AA degrees
Keely Damara
Managing Editor
Pasadena City College ranks as the number
one community college in the state for award¬
ing associate’s degrees, according to a recent
report.
In a Community College Week analysis
of data collected by the U.S. Department of
Education, PCC ranks at the top of 113 state
community colleges and 22nd in the nation in
the number of associate’s degrees awarded.
PCC awarded 2,589 associate’s degrees in
2013-2014, a 57 percent increase from the
1,646 degrees awarded in 2012-2013.
“I think that it shows the commitment
of our faculty to ensuring that students are
successful and learning the things they need
to learn in their classes,” said Kathy Scott,
associate dean of academic affairs.
In addition, PCC ranks first in the state
and 7th in the nation in awarding associate’s
degrees to minorities.
Cynthia Olivo, associate vice president of
student services, said that the significant in¬
crease in both the number of degrees awarded
AA DEGREES PAGE 2
Pasadena City College
October 1, 2015
Serving PCC
Since 191 5
VOLUME 112
ISSUE 04
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