The case of missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington has captured the nation’s attention. Her parents, Dan and Gil Harrington, appeared on several televised programs such as “Dr. Phil” and “Nancy Grace.” While some details in her disappearance have emerged, it is still unclear what role the no re-entry policy of the John Paul Jones Arena (JPJ) played.
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Morgan Harrington disappeared on October 17 while attending a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia State Police say Harrington found herself outside the arena and was denied re-entry per the venue’s policy. Yet, all teams of the ACC go by the same no re-entry policy. Smaller local venues, however, allow re-entry. |
Harrington disappeared on October 17 while attending a Metallica concert at JPJ. According to witness accounts gathered by Virginia State Police, Harrington left her friends to visit the restroom, wound up outside the arena, and was denied re-entry to the concert. The timeline released by state police places her outside the arena at 8:20pm, where she was seen conversing the people. At 8:48pm she told a friend inside the arena that she would try to find her way home.
At 9pm, someone matching Harrington’s description was seen walking alone in the University Hall parking lot, and later through Lannigan field (where her purse was later found). She was reportedly last seen hitchhiking on Copeley bridge.
On October 23, UVA released a statement on the arena’s no re-entry policy, calling the policy “typical” of most major event venues in the country and around the world.
“Patrons attempting to enter the facility without a ticket, with an invalid ticket or with a previously used ticket are denied access, unless they have previously obtained management approval to re-enter.”
Additionally, “for crowd control, we need to prevent people without tickets from entering the facility. The policy also decreases the possibility of contraband being brought into the facility.”
Among the ACC teams, all arenas have a similar policy, with small exceptions at Miami and NC State, which allow patrons who step out for a smoke to re-enter. (JPJ has a smoking balcony.)
Even at sporting events, JPJ’s rules apply: “Exiting and re-entering with the same ticket is not permitted.”
Locally, smaller music venues have a completely different approach. Kirby Hutto, general manager of The Pavilion and project manager of The Jefferson Theater, says that both venues do not regulate patrons who come in and out.
“We’ve had those discussions and we think that’s a patron-friendly policy to allow re-entry,” he told C-VILLE. “Occasionally, we may have an issue with a patron who is leaving to do things that we don’t want them to do and then trying to come back in, but … we trust our patrons as a general rule, and we did not have any major issues with allowing re-entry.”
Same goes for The Paramount on the Downtown Mall. Patrons who wish to go outside must present a valid ticket stub at the time of re-entry. And that is true for those who step out for a smoke.
Although Foxfield does not seem to have a fixed policy, during the fall races re-entry is allowed because of smaller attendance. At the spring races, re-entry would be nearly impossible because of the heavy traffic.
In the case of both the Jefferson and the Pavilion, Hutto says that the re-entry policy won’t likely change. “We feel that not only is it patron-friendly, but it’s also friendly to other businesses Downtown. People can go out and meet a friend elsewhere and then come back in to the venue,” he says. “Given our two specific venues that we are dealing with, we feel that allowing re-entry is the right thing to do for our patrons.”
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