|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Rice Thresher
Phone:
|
by Matt Cuddihy thresher staff A Wiess College room was burglarized Saturday night in one of several burglaries that took place that day, University Police Sgt. Steve Reiter said. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. Wiess senior Shanna Stein, resident of the second-floor single that was burglarized, said she had gone to Subway for about 10 minutes and upon returning encountered a man walking down the stairs. Stein said the man, who was carrying about 20 CDs, began to drop them. Stein helped him retrieve them and then continued up the stairs to her room. Stein said that as soon as she got to her room, she realized the CDs the man was carrying were her own. She immediately went to look for him, and when she encountered him, she told him the CDs belonged to her. The man proceeded to hand the CDs over to her, Stein said, and then said, "We're okay, right? You're not gonna call the cops." After noticing the man was heading off toward Hanszen, Stein rushed back to her room and called the police, who arrived within 30 seconds. "The first thing we did [was] establish a perimeter around the area," especially in the vicinity of Hanzsen, Reiter said. Shortly afterward, he said, a witness came up and said that a late 1980s silver Buick had sped off down the Inner Loop from the front of Wiess House. The witness said the man was in such a hurry he didn't bother to close his door before leaving. Sgt. Reiter said this witness' description of the thief matched Stein's. University Police Sgt. Reiter said the thief, a male in his late 20s, was not a member of the Rice community, but rather an "opportunist" outsider. Reiter said these thieves wait until there is a distraction on campus, such as a party, and then take advantage of the opportunity to search for and steal from easy targets, like unlocked, unoccupied rooms. He said this was exactly the case with the burglary in Stein's room, as she had left her door unlocked. Stein said she always keeps her door locked except for very short periods of time, such as her 10-minute absence Saturday. Stein said from now on she will always lock her door, even when she only leaves for a minute. Reiter emphasized that such a policy should be followed by everyone. "These guys are so good and bold, it only takes a few seconds," Reiter said. "Lock your doors." Reiter said that in addition to the Wiess burglary, wallets were reported missing from the intramural field next to Autry Court earlier in the day, and around 2 p.m., a CD player was discovered missing from the Baker College socials closet, presumably stolen. Reiter and Lt. Dianna Marshall said they didn't know if the crimes were related, but that it was possible.
- back - |
|
|
Search the Thresher pages:
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu |
