A roommate dispute at the University of Hartford has turned into a criminal case and a campus conversation about bias.
According to West Hartford police and news reports, a University of Hartford student named Brianna was charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief and breach of peace. Police said she tampered with her roommate’s belongings. Police also asked a judge to add a felony bigotry charge and said they were treating the incident as a bias crime. The charges are allegations, and the case was still moving through court at the time of this report.
The roommate, Chennel, who goes by Jazzy, said the two never got along. After she received a new dorm assignment and told Brianna, social media posts appeared in which Brianna bragged about things she had done to her roommate’s items. Those posts have since been deleted. Chennel said she had been sick and believes the actions are connected, but no cause has been confirmed.
According to the Hartford Courant, Brianna told police she put bodily fluids on her roommate’s backpack and licked her roommate’s dishes out of frustration. She reportedly denied the other claims made in the posts.
The story spread online under the hashtag #JusticeForJazzy, with many people saying the behavior was racially motivated. University of Hartford President Greg Woodward said, “Acts of racism, bias, bullying, or other abusive behaviors will not be tolerated on this campus.” The school said Brianna is no longer a student. A judge ordered her to stay off campus and away from her former roommate, and she was released on bond.
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