"Suspect is arrested in Salem State stabbing" by Brian MacQuarrie | Globe Staff, September 25, 2013
SALEM — A student on leave from Salem State University was arrested in upstate New York Wednesday night after he allegedly stabbed a female student on a university shuttle bus earlier in the day and then wounded the driver, who tried to help.
Timothy G. Wells, 25, a senior from Woburn, had been sought by police on two counts of assault with intent to murder after the attack Wednesday morning. Campus police informed university officials of Wells’s arrest late Wednesday night, Salem State spokeswoman Karen Cady said.
Authorities and campus officials did not release details of the arrest Wednesday night, except to say that Wells was taken into custody after being stopped on the Taconic State Parkway. It was not clear when Wells will be brought back to Massachusetts.
Both stabbing victims suffered minor injuries, Cady said.
Wells had taken a leave from Salem State about two to three weeks ago, university officials said. He fled the campus in a 1999 Toyota Camry after the 11:10 a.m. attacks, leading police on a daylong search, authorities said.
University officials locked down the campus about an hour later, after receiving a report that Wells might be headed back to the school. Shades were drawn, lights turned off, and students were asked to sit on the floor away from windows during a “shelter in place” order that lasted from about 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
The Horace Mann Laboratory School, a public elementary school, was also locked down.
“Everyone was pretty scared; everyone was freaking out,” Nathan Hughes, a 21-year-old student from Methuen, said about Wednesday’s attack.
“I got a text walking to class, and all of a sudden helicopters were everywhere,” said Joseph Guarnera, 21, a student from Chelmsford. “This is my first semester. I’ve only been here for two or three weeks, and something like this is already happening? It makes you think twice about who you sit beside on a bus.”
And twice about the over-the-top overreaction.
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The shuttle bus on which the attack occurred is one of several large vans used to ferry students around campus. As police searched for Wells, the shuttle was cordoned off in a campus parking lot, guarded by a university police officer.
Although the lockdown canceled campus activities for the rest of the day, many students said they regarded the assault as a random, isolated crime.
Classes cancelled!
“I think it’s just an unfortunate incident, you know?” said Benjamin Skelic, 22, of Salem. “I understand this can happen anywhere, anytime.”
Thus we must live life in constant fear under the protective wing of authority.
Besides Wednesday’s arrest, Wells faced another arrest warrant this month when he failed to appear in Salem District Court following an arrest Sept. 3. He was arrested on that date when he was discovered with a 4-inch folding knife on a football field under construction, according to police.
When authorities questioned Wells at Bertram Field, authorities reported, he said he was meditating and trying to become one with nature....
Warning sign!
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"Salem State police checked on mental state of accused attacker" by Brian MacQuarrie | Globe Staff, September 26, 2013
The Salem State University student accused of stabbing two people on a campus shuttle bus Wednesday had been detained earlier this month for a psychiatric evaluation at an area hospital, university police said.
Here we go. Was he on any prescription pharmaceuticals?
Timothy G. Wells was detained at Forest River Park in Salem, on a so-called psychiatric hold, after a doctor contacted authorities with concerns about his mental condition, Salem State University police said.
Following the detention, Police Chief Gene Labonte said, he did not advise his officers to pay special attention to Wells if they spotted him on campus. The senior student took a voluntary leave of absence from the university after the evaluation.
“He was on a leave of absence so, quite frankly, there was no action that was required on our part,” Labonte said. “Just because somebody needs to be evaluated doesn’t mean that I have to be on the lookout for him at all times.”
But the question begs: was he on prescription pharmaceuticals?
In an echo of the recent shootings at the Washington Navy Yard, whether signs of mental illness in Wells were overlooked or were not taken seriously remains to be determined. On Sept. 16, Aaron Alexis, a former Navy reservist, killed 12 people six weeks after his employers expressed concerns about his mental stability.
They seem to be obsessed about that, although it was sure dropped in a hurry.
Labonte said he did not know the results of Wells’s evaluation, which can be requested under state law if someone — doctors, police, family members, or even private citizens — believe a person is a danger to himself or the community.
Wells, 25, of Woburn was arrested Wednesday night in Chatham, N.Y., about nine hours after police said he stabbed a female Salem State student in the hand and then stabbed a shuttle bus driver in the chest as he attempted to protect her. Both injuries were minor.
Authorities said Wells fled the campus in a 1999 Toyota Camry, and the university imposed a “shelter-in-place” lock-down for two hours in the early afternoon. All classes and activities were canceled for the remainder of the day, but the university resumed its normal schedule Thursday.
Wells was taken into custody about 8 p.m. Wednesday after New York state troopers responded to reports of a car with mechanical trouble on the Taconic State Parkway. The troopers, who described Wells as “easily agitated” and “inconsistent,” arrested him after they discovered a Massachusetts warrant for his arrest on two counts of assault with intent to murder.
Wells was charged with being a fugitive from justice. He continued to be held Thursday at the Columbia County Jail pending extradition to Massachusetts.
On Sept. 3, the day before his detention, Salem police arrested Wells after he was found carrying an illegally long knife on city property. Wells told police that he was meditating and “trying to become one with nature,” authorities said.
An arrest warrant was issued the next day when Wells did not appear for his arraignment, Salem District Court staff said. About 9 p.m. that night, he was detained for the psychiatric evaluation.
Salem State officials said they will review the stabbings to determine whether any added precautions are needed. One option that is certain to be discussed is whether identification should be required to board the shuttles, said Karen Cady, the university spokeswoman.
Wells did not have to show his connection to the university to ride the shuttle, which is used by students, faculty, and staff. “It’s an open campus,” Labonte said. “We don’t require somebody to show ID to get on the bus.”
Wells is not believed to have known the female student he allegedly stabbed, Salem State authorities said. The victims have not been identified.
“I really don’t know what could have been done to avert this, unfortunately,” Cady said. “We’re a public institution. We’re a public campus, so I think it’s just incumbent on us to be vigilant and aware of our surroundings and do the best we can to protect ourselves.”
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Related: Alleged Salem State attacker to contest rendition
Also see: Sunday Globe Special: Securing All Schools
The feeling here is all authority should be armed whoever they be, and if your loved one and innocent is killed for no reason it will have to be a sacrifice for the greater good of security and protection.
