Student reported for disturbing others with religious talk

For the second time this year, student Steven Plumlee has been reported for disturbing or nuisance behavior after attempting to push his religious beliefs on another person.

At about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, Adjunct Chemistry Instructor Shelley Plant reported to campus police that a male student was bothering her.

Plant said she was sitting on a bench on the outside plaza when a man sat beside her and began talking to her. Plant said she twice told him to leave her alone but the man refused.

When Chief James Fitzpatrick and Officer Gordon Nelson accompanied Plant to the plaza so she could identify the man, Gordon said he recognized him as someone he had dealt with before regarding a similar incident earlier this year on Jan. 8.

On that day, campus police had responded to a call from the library where OCCC student Teodoro Leon made a complaint that a student was reading from the Bible to him and would not stop when asked.

In the earlier report, Leon said he also had asked Steven Plumlee, 25, to leave the area but Plumlee had refused and continued to read the Bible to him.

At that time, Plumlee was told by the officers to respect Leon’s request. According to that report, Plumlee agreed and was released.

In the latest call, Plumlee was escorted to the campus police department and into Fitzpatrick’s office where, Fitzpatrick said, he attempted to speak with Plumlee about the incident.

Fitzpatrick reportedly told Plumlee when he approaches another person and that person doesn’t want to speak with him, he should honor the request and leave them alone.

According to the report, Plumlee told Fitzpatrick he was required to save the life of the person he was talking to and it didn’t matter if the other person wanted to be left alone. He said he was required to follow God’s wishes.

The report shows Plumlee said several times: “If you’re walking off a bridge and you’re gonna die, then I’m required by God to save your life.”

Plumlee then told Fitzpatrick he also was walking off a bridge and said, “I’m going to pray for you.”

Plumlee was then told he was in violation of rule 7 of the student conduct code, prohibiting “Hazing, mistreatment or intentional verbal or mental abuse of others which endangers, injuries, mistreats, harasses, degrades or disgraces other students or persons and/or in any way interferes with educational activities.”

Nelson said he then reminded Plumlee of the earlier incident on Jan. 9 when he had requested that Plumlee honor the requests of people who didn’t want to talk to him.

Plumlee responded that he had done what he had been told to do in that case and said the latest incident was different.

“ … You said I couldn’t talk to him,” Plumlee said. “I haven’t talked to him anymore.

“I’m trying to save that women’s life. She’s walking off of a bridge and going to hell, and I have to save her.”

Nelson escorted Plumlee to Student Life Director Chris Shelley’s office without incident.

The Pioneer has contacted both Shelley and Plumlee for a comment and will update this story when more information is available.

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