Purdue News

November 26, 2001 Purdue pays rewards for post-game disturbance WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Research Foundation has issued 12 checks totaling $23,350 in rewards to people who provided information to police following an April 1 disturbance on the Purdue University campus. The individual rewards – which ranged from $100 to $5,000 – were for information that led to the arrest and conviction of eight individuals who participated in rioting that followed the NCAA women’s basketball championship game in which Purdue’s team participated. According to William Coghill, Purdue's director of safety and security, the Purdue Research Foundation issued three checks for $5,000, one for $2,250, five for $1,000, two for $500 and one for $100. "The posting of these rewards proved to be extremely helpful in the investigation," Wayne Kjonaas, vice president for physical facilities, said. "The amounts paid varied according to the value of the information provided. There is no question that people receiving this money have performed a valuable service to the university and the community by helping to identify individuals who engaged in destructive and dangerous behavior." Following the disturbance, in which fires and other vandalism led to damages estimated at more than $75,000, Purdue offered to pay rewards of up $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible. The university also posted photos and video images of the disturbance on a Web page and asked the public to help in identifying suspects. Kjonaas said the reward recipients’ contributions to the investigation ranged from providing information to turning over extensive video footage to the police. Writer: Joseph L. Bennett, (765) 494-2085, jlbennett@purdue.edu Sources: Wayne W. Kjonaas, 765-494-8000, wwkjonaas@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page