Marshall University Police Department responded to a call Jan. 9 at 7:52 p.m. indicating that a suspicious male was preparing food on the first floor of Smith Music Hall. The man was later discovered to be 25-year-old Joshua Jordan who was arrested for trespassing and escorted off of the premises.

While searching the building, campus police found Jordan in one of the practice rooms of Smith. When confronted, Jordan told the officers that he was there because he is a former Marshall student from 2013 and he owned a locker with his contents still in it. The officers took Jordan to his locker and cleaned out his belongings before exiting the building.

Jordan was told by the arresting officers and Huntington officers that he was not supposed to be on any of the property owned by Marshall University. That night, he was arrested for trespassing and transported to Western Regional Jail.

This was not Jordan’s first time being on campus when he was not supposed to be. An officer on duty in Smith Hall on Dec. 30 found the subject had been sleeping on one of the benches shortly after 2 a.m.

During his first encounter with MUPD, Jordan informed the officers that he had a firearm in his backpack when they questioned him. After this admission, he was arrested for trespassing with a firearm and possession of a firearm on an educational facility. MUPD Chief Jim Terry said Jordan had been informed he should not return to the university.

“During this process, Jordan was told he had no purpose for being in any of the buildings on campus,” Terry said.

Following his arrest, many students have questioned why they were not informed of Jordan’s trespassing violation through the MUAlert messaging system. Terry said no one saw the need for a message after the incident because no one was in danger.

“There was no text sent out because he was arrested and he was no longer a threat to the university community,” Terry said. “The situation was mitigated … it was over.”

The university is now taking precautions making sure that all doors are locked when classes are not in session. Some doors in Smith Hall have been locked during the day to prevent those who are not associated with Marshall from sneaking in.

Sarah Ingram can be contacted at [email protected].