The sounds of night life plagued Chestnut St. on August 19, ending the last Saturday night of the summer like only Chico can.
However, on that night the sorority Alpha Delta Pi was broken into by 29-year-old Jonathan Dewayne Smith, who had previously broken into three other homes. He began his criminal activity the night of August 19, and ended the next morning, taking advantage of the residents at home in bed.
“It was really early in the morning,” said Nicole Curreri, member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and Chico State senior, “So no one was awake, as far as I’m aware.”
On the morning of August 20, the sorority awoke to Smith, a man they didn’t know, in their house. According to the University Police Media Bulletin, Smith broke in, went into one of the girl’s rooms, proceeded to sexually assault her, offer her drugs and wake up her roommate.
Smith got in through a sliding glass door that the girls forgot to lock, and had tried to convince others that he knew the girls in the house and was in their “guy friend group,” adds Curreri.
The police arrived after Curreri called them and began to check the house perimeter and the surrounding streets. Officer Bryce Davison patrolled the area and found Smith between W. Sixth St. and Hazel St. at 6:38 a.m. Smith is now being held at the Butte County jail.
“It was a weird happening, you know?” Said Curreri. “He left, they didn’t know which way he went. Thankfully they were able to find him.”
The Butte County jail records say that Smith has been charged with burglary, assault with the intent to rape and violation of parole. His first court date at the Butte County court house has been set for September 7, at 8:35 a.m. for his charge of assault with intent to rape.
The sorority has been talking to advisors and taking more precautions to keep their members safe at night. They also had their locks changed and have decided not to let an oversight of an unlocked door cause something to happen like this again.
“Be careful,” said Curreri, when asked how others can avoid the same thing happening to them, “Make sure doors are locked. It could have happened to anyone.”
Hannah Yeager can be reached at [email protected] or at @theorionnews on Twitter.
