AVC report describes crime on campus

LANCASTER — The Antelope Valley Community College District had 10 crime incidents and four arrests in all of 2022, including six stolen vehicles and one burglary according to a crime report submitted to the AV College Board of Trustees for the March 13 meeting.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department documents and prepares crime reports of all arrests and incidents that occur on campus and are reported to campus authorities. The crime report is submitted to the Board annually. AV College has contracted with the sheriff’s department since January 2010.

According to the report, one motor vehicle theft was reported last March, three thefts were reported in August and one each in October and November. The report does not detail from which parking lots the vehicles were stolen.

“I can confirm that we are in the process of enhancing security measures by adding security phones and additional lighting in the parking lots,” Alejandro Guzmán, executive director of Marketing and Public Information, wrote in an email.

He added the vehicle thefts appear to be isolated incidents. There have not been any reported incidents since November. In addition, the campus sheriff’s office has increased patrols around the campus.

A burglary reported in July resulted in two arrests. It occurred in the gym and the suspects stole several items from an employee’s office, Guzmán wrote. A vending machine inside the gym was also vandalized and items were taken from inside the machine.

“There were two suspects and they were located within hours hiding inside another building,” Guzmán wrote. “They were both arrested for burglary and all items taken were recovered at the scene. Neither suspect was a student.”

Two people were arrested in separate domestic violence incidents, including one that took place off campus. In that incident, neither the suspect nor the victim were students. They were contacted in one of the parking lots on campus after the victim called 911.

A second domestic violence incident that resulted in an arrest occurred just outside Sage Hall. The suspect and the victim were students. The suspect was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.

A third domestic violence incident, which occurred in Mesquite Hall, involved non-students who had walked on campus and were using an electrical outlet to charge their phones.

“No one was arrested in this incident due to the suspect having left prior to our deputies arriving on the scene,” Guzmán wrote.