Sheriff: Student a gun enthusiast

Guns in MC student’s car because he was moving them to new storage area

By Brad Bauer, bbauer@mariettatimes.com
Police said Thursday there is no evidence of a “sinister plot” surrounding a Marietta College student charged this week after guns and ammunition were found in his vehicle on campus.

Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said student Robert L. Walker II, 22, is continuing to cooperate with detectives and that he shed some light on why the guns were in his vehicle.

“He basically was having a storage and transportation problem,” Mincks said. “He told us he was keeping (the guns) at a friend’s residence. The friend became concerned about some break-ins in his neighborhood so (Walker) gathered the guns and ammunition and was going to transport them to his grandmother’s home (in Summit County) at his next opportunity.”

Investigators said the guns – a rifle, shotgun, handgun and parts to another rifle – were in the vehicle for about a week before a campus parking enforcement officer noticed them in Walker’s Jeep, which was parked in a college lot at the rear of 211 Fourth St.

“He left the guns in his vehicle and as far as we’ve been able to determine there is nothing sinister, no sinister plot. He appears to be a gun enthusiast, and I have no reason not to believe him,” Mincks said.

Still, Walker was charged Wednesday with a fourth-degree felony concealed carry violation and he remains suspended from the college campus.

Washington County Prosecutor Jim Schneider said Walker would not have been charged if he had a concealed-carry permit, although he still would have been in violation of campus policy.

Schneider said the criminal charges were brought because the guns were improperly stored in the vehicle. He said guns and ammunition cannot be readily accessible to the driver.

In most instances, Schneider said, guns and ammunition need to be stored in separate compartments of a vehicle for legal transport. He said he is going to argue there are no separate compartments in a Jeep and that the gun was “concealed at the ready” because it was stored within the reach of the driver’s seat with ammunition.

“I know we are splitting fine lines and hairs, for sure. But it doesn’t mean a crime didn’t happen,” Schneider said.

He said the best option is to let a jury decide the case.

Marietta resident Philip Shiflett, 54, said he is bothered by the charges being filed. Shiflett is a Fort Harmar Gun Club executive committee member and an NRA-certified shooting instructor.

“In this case, it really sounds like a stretch,” Shiflett said, adding too many people are quick to pass judgment about gun collectors.

“I don’t know anything about this young man. Maybe he has problems, and if he does, something should be done to help him get a handle on that,” Shiflett said. “But I think the bigger problem is that there are too many people who aren’t gun collectors and who think that if you want a gun, one should be enough.”

Shiflett said it would not be uncommon for him or other club members to have several guns and several thousand rounds of ammunition in their own vehicles.

Local attorney and gun enthusiast Bill Burton said he is concerned by the actions taken this week against Walker.

“This seems like it is a tremendous over-reaction. This week I’ve seen prayers on campus and kids afraid to go on campus,” Burton said. “If he violated a campus gun policy, I’m not opposed to the college putting him through their standards. But as a Marietta College graduate, I’m offended that they would ban him from the school so quickly. It doesn’t sound like he had due process. It seems the college and the students think that if you have guns, you are inherently dangerous. But there are those of us who carry guns and who are not dangerous.”

At a meeting between college administrators and more than 150 students Monday night, some students expressed concern over Walker’s behavior prior to the discovery of the guns. They discussed an incident in which he brought a bullet to class and a reference on his MySpace blog to his willingness to fight some students.

Mincks said Summit County sheriff’s officials are still examining one gun collected Wednesday from Walker’s grandmother’s residence. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office requested the search of the home after an interview with Walker. The student authorized the search, in which 15 guns were taken, Mincks said.

The gun in question is suspected of being fully automatic, which would make it illegal to possess unless a federal permit was issued.