Students threatened; man jailed

A Crawford man remained jailed Wednesday afternoon following his arrest last week after he allegedly pointed a sawed-off shotgun at a male CSC student in the High Rise dormitory parking lot, authorities said.

Chadron Police Department remanded Dean W. Hawley, 25, to Dawes County Jail Thursday following his arrest on an affidavit that charges him with “Terroristic Threats (Class IIIA Felony), a Use of a Deadly Weapon to Commit a Felony (IC Felony), Possession of a Deadly Weapon to Commit a Felony (II Felony) and Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Prohibited Person (ID Felony),” a CPD press release states. It added that other charges are pending, and that Hawley’s bond was set at 10% of $100,000 ($10,000).

The release, issued Friday, states that at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Chadron police officers were called to the High Rise parking lot to investigate alleged terroristic threats. 

Two female students reported that a vehicle followed them in a harassing manner from Chadron State Park into city limits, then onto the dormitory parking lot.  En route, the women called ahead to two male friends – one of whom serves as a resident hall adviser – and asked for help when they returned to campus, the release states. 

Once the women arrived at High Rise, the two male students met them in the parking lot and approached the suspect’s vehicle to ask the driver – later identified as Hawley – what was going on. 

Hawley reportedly brandished a 12-gauge, sawed-off shotgun at one of the male students, the CPD release said. The male students walked away from the situation, called police and reported that Hawley had fled the scene, traveling east on 10th Street. 

Working with CSC security, police acquired security footage and located Hawley and his vehicle in the 200 block of Shelton Street, the release states. Acting on a search warrant, police found a “short shotgun,” ammunition for the shotgun and two pellet guns. They then arrested Hawley, the release states.

In a campus-wide letter issued Friday, CSC President Randy Rhine commended the students, campus security, and Chadron police for working together.

“I sincerely appreciate the response of the Chadron Police Department and employees,” Rhine wrote. “Together, we all work diligently to ensure our campus and community remain safe. I’m proud of that cooperative spirit because it embodies what this college and city stand for.”