Sixth broken door ends in injury

The sixth Dieseth door to be broken this year was kicked in Friday, March 13. Justin Kaspryk (‘12) claimed responsibility for breaking the door and sustained a foot injury from the glass.

Luther and the Decorah Police have not issued charges for the incident.

While Dieseth residents have been assessed fines for the five doors prior, they will not be charged for this incident.

“The residents that live in the towers will not be charged for the replacement,” said Kris Franzen, Director of Residence Life.

Franzen declined to comment further regarding Kaspryk’s charges.

Kaspryk was hosting a prospective student the night of the incident.

“We left my room and went over to Dieseth,” Kaspryk said. “I had been drinking a little bit. I was not impaired. I wasn’t running around all crazy and he wasn’t drinking at all.”

Kaspryk said he broke the door when leaving Dieseth.

“I decided to be a smart-ass and open the door with my foot, which I do all the time just because,” Kaspryk said.

Kaspryk said he tried to hit the door’s pushbar with his heel, which slid from the pushbar and went through the glass.

“I pulled it out, kind of freaking out, because my foot was in glass,” Kaspryk said. “Who wouldn’t get panicked and go into shock?”

Kaspryk ran back to Ylvisaker, his dormitory.

“I didn’t see an R.A. behind me or anyone,” he said. “I ran over to Ylvi because I knew my R.A. was on duty.”

Decorah Police Chief Tom Courtney shared his account.

“I guess there were some people around, at least, that heard it when it happened and saw him having the problems, and then running up to Ylvisaker,” Courtney said.

Kaspryk stopped running when he reached the Ylvisaker Service Center.

“I went into the Service Center and bled everywhere.”

Kaspryk reported that an RA called Campus Security, who called the Decorah Police.

“We were called just because it was a little unclear at the time what had happened,” Courtney said.

An ambulance arrived and took Kaspryk to the hospital. Two hours later, according to Kaspryk, Campus Security drove him home.

“I did cut an artery,” Kaspryk said. “I went to the E.R [and] got stitches.”

Courtney’s understanding of the incident followed Kaspryk’s account, but left room for doubt.

“It’s a little unclear,” Courtney said. “Was there really intent to break it, or was it just, like [Kaspryk] termed it, ‘a dumb thing to do?’”

While the Police report noted that Kaspryk had been drinking, no charges were assessed at the time of the incident.

“If there is an indication or any witness … that [says] what he did was more intent-driven, that will change things,” Courtney said.

The County Attorney is processing the police report, and will determine if charges of vandalism or criminal mischief need be applied.

As of Tuesday, the glass had not been replaced.

Kaspryk does not know yet whether he will be written up for underage drinking.

Ann Highum, Vice President and Dean for Student Life, could not be reached for comment regarding the charges.

“Drinking happens. No one’s going to say that it doesn’t,” Kaspryk said.

He said Residence Life is in the process of determining whether he will pay to replace the door.

“I don’t know if it can be established at this point if there was any real intent to do a criminal act so much as it just kind of happened,” Courtney said.

“I see it as an accident,” Kaspryk said. “I don’t go around breaking doors. It was just a dumb mistake.”