On Jan. 3, K-State Today announced the pending retirement of Officer Timothy Schrag from the Kansas State University Police Department.
Lt. Bradli Millington, K-State Police’s public information officer, said Schrag’s retirement has been in the works “since last summer.”
Shrag’s Jan. 5 retirement reception in Edwards Hall took place nearly three months after a student accused him of misconduct.
In October, Ryan Kelly, junior in civil engineering and communication studies, sent a self-written statement to campus leaders identifying Schrag as the officer who reportedly tried to “coerce” him into not reporting instances of harassment.Related:
Harassed on campus and dismissed by campus police officer, student claims
In the document, Kelly said his “controversial statements” in a Collegian article published Oct. 17, prompted multiple unannounced visits from strangers to his apartment. Kelly said he felt the visits were threatening, and after speaking with Bill Harlan, advisor for the Student Governing Association, agreed to report the incidents to K-State Police.
Schrag was reportedly dismissive of Kelly’s claims, and Kelly said the conversation left Kelly feeling disgusted and vulnerable. At the end of the conversations, Schrag informed Kelly that his body camera’s battery had malfunctioned and had not recorded the entire interaction.
Schrag followed up with a call from his personal cell phone to conduct a “re-interview” in which Kelly said Schrag told him “sometimes it’s best not for him to report things to his higher-ups.”
“I refuse to believe I am the first person to file a complaint against him,” Kelly said in his statement.
In October, Jack Ayres, student body president and senior in chemical engineering, confirmed Schrag to be the officer in question. Heather Reed, assistant vice president of student life, assured that an investigation into Kelly’s allegations was underway, but did not confirm nor deny the identity of the officer.
On Oct. 31, the Collegian published a more in-depth article outlining the extent of Kelly’s allegations.
K-State Today released a statement afterward to announce an internal investigation into the alleged misconduct.
“K-State Police are committed to the safety of our students, faculty and staff,” the release said.
Schrag worked for K-State Police for 28 years.
K-State Police chief Ronnie Grice declined comment on the allegations of misconduct in October. Grice was also unavailable to comment on Schrag’s retirement.
Officer Timothy L. Schrag is not related to Timothy J. Schrag, editor of K-State Magazine.
