UMass Amherst Struggles with Drug Scandal and Apartment Blaze
It has been a difficult few weeks for UMass Amherst with two major incidents stemming from their campus.
At the end of October, it was revealed that a cocaine string running out of Hotel UMass had been discovered. Hotel UMass is an on-campus hotel that offers all those studying hospitality at the university to gain real experience in the industry. LaMar D. Cook, the former Director of Hotel UMass and former Deputy Director of Governor Maura Healey’s Springfield office, is the alleged perpetrator behind all drug trafficking that occurred through Hotel UMass.
After some suspicious packages addressed to Hotel UMass were intercepted in Louisville, KY, an investigation was launched, resulting in the arrest of Cook. He was arrested in Springfield after receiving a package outside of Governor Healy’s office, delivered by an undercover cop. Cook is believed to have trafficked at least 18 pounds of cocaine—worth more than $110,000. He was also charged with a variety of firearm violations. Cook’s bail has been set at $75,000 in cash.
In addition to these revelations surrounding Hotel UMass, UMass Amherst suffered a large fire at an off-campus apartment complex, which has now left more than 230 people displaced. A little after 8:00 PM on November 7, a massive blaze broke out within the Olympia Drive Apartment Complex that could not be snuffed out for hours.
Olympica Place is a private, off-campus apartment complex that houses a large number of UMass students. Two hundred and thirty of the two hundred and thirty six residents from the apartment complex are UMass students, who now are being relocated to either emergency housing or temporary housing provided by the university.
No one was killed or injured in the fire due to the quick action of the Amherst Fire Department and the surrounding towns that came to assist. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but fire officials credit the stamina of the fire to the construction that was occurring nearby, making it difficult to fully fight the fire. The water system also was not able to truly withstand the pressure it needed to in order to fight the fire. Between the sprinkler system and hoses, the system was quickly overwhelmed.
The university is working closely with the affected students to support them through this difficult time. Many lost so much within the fire and are leaning on the assistance of the university to recover from this devastation.
