On Tuesday, November 29, Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland sent an update to the Whitman College community regarding the recent dissociative druggings on campus.  According to Cleveland, the College worked with the Walla Walla Police Department to investigate the situation and a current student emerged as a person of interest. When the student was alerted that they would face conduct proceedings, the individual withdrew from Whitman. Below is an excerpt from Cleveland’s email.  

“Through the college’s own investigation in conjunction with the investigation being done by the Walla Walla Police Department, a person of interest emerged as a possible source of the drugs.

Upon being notified of pending conduct proceedings by the college, the student made the decision to withdraw from Whitman College and is no longer allowed on campus. The college cannot release the student’s name because of privacy laws.

The investigation by the Walla Walla Police Department is ongoing. Police have serious concerns that the drugs circulated in this case may be homemade and are potentially very dangerous.”

Cleveland did not indicate whether or not multiple individuals may have been involved in the druggings. The Walla Walla Police Department’s investigation is ongoing.

Cleveland also noted that drugs appear to have been homemade and are potentially dangerous, and that any individual who knows more about the drugs should come forward and meet with Chalese Rabidue (Domestic Violence Victims Advocate with the Walla Walla PD, 509.527.4434) or Juli Dunn (Associate Dean of Students, [email protected], 509.301.6824).

UPDATE: On the evening of December 2, Associate Dean of Students Juli Dunn sent an email to students clarifying Chuck Cleveland’s earlier email. Dunn’s email emphasized that there is no definitive link at this time between the student who withdrew from the school and the drugging incidents of late October and early November.

Dunn’s email noted that both the school and Walla Walla PD are awaiting toxicology results from the state crime lab in addition to results from, “some of the substances in capsules the student [who withdrew] admitted to making.” The state crime lab is significantly backed up so there is no date upon which the results are expected back.

Dunn’s email concluded:

“By no means do we believe that the issue is resolved. This is not meant to make students feel unsafe but rather to be realistic about the possibility that there is, at current, no connection between student allegedly dealing drugs and the druggings. As such, we all must still be vigilant and take care of each other.”