Campus theft
Students burglarize and vandalize dorms
Gabe Weintraub
Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: News
Between Feb. 15 and Feb. 26, three burglaries occurred on campus. The events are unrelated, and the intruders are suspected to be students at the college.
Campus Safety would not reveal the residence halls in which the break-ins occurred, as an attempt to keep the victims identities disclosed. On March 3, however, The Saratogian published a more detailed account of the one incident in which an arrest was made.
According to The Saratogian, after leaving a party at Woodlawn Avenue, Adam Perez '10, 24, allegedly broke open the window to his ex-girlfriend's room in Wait Hall late in the evening of Feb. 25. The resident was not in the room at the time.
The intoxicated Perez desecrated his ex-girlfriend's car and, once inside the room, stole her car keys, cash and a bag of marijuana. Before leaving, Perez was confronted by neighbors, who attempted to subdue him while contacting Campus Safety.
He was charged at 2:11 a.m., Feb. 26 at the Saratoga Springs Police Station and was let go without bail on March 2. Conditions for his release dictate that Perez will have to stay off campus unless attending class or campus disciplinary proceedings. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 23.
In the second burglary, an intruder entered an empty room through either an opened window or an unlocked door, and a small personal safe with cash inside was taken. The trespasser was not identified. "It is my intuition that the intruder was a student who may have known the resident, and therefore knew that the safe was in the room," said Dennis Conway, director of Campus Safety.
In the final break-in, an eyewitness saw a college-aged white male walk into an unlocked room. The young man damaged a computer by urinating on it. The victim was asleep during the burglary and was unable to recognize any of the suspects.
Having three break-ins in such a short period of time is unusual. "Students need to tighten up and lock their doors even when they go down to do the laundry. Too many students prop their doors open and that's when we have our biggest issues," Conway said.
The college receives, on average, between 12 and 14 burglaries per year. Burglaries differ from larceny, in that larceny involves theft in a public place, explained Conway.
"We've put fliers around campus to make students aware of the importance of locking their doors and being aware of the people around them. Additionally, the staff are very aware and are keeping an eye on things," Conway said.
If anyone sees anything or has any information they should contact Campus Safety via the TIPS hotline x8477. "They can leave a confidential message, we like to follow up on that information," Conway said.
Campus Safety would not reveal the residence halls in which the break-ins occurred, as an attempt to keep the victims identities disclosed. On March 3, however, The Saratogian published a more detailed account of the one incident in which an arrest was made.
According to The Saratogian, after leaving a party at Woodlawn Avenue, Adam Perez '10, 24, allegedly broke open the window to his ex-girlfriend's room in Wait Hall late in the evening of Feb. 25. The resident was not in the room at the time.
The intoxicated Perez desecrated his ex-girlfriend's car and, once inside the room, stole her car keys, cash and a bag of marijuana. Before leaving, Perez was confronted by neighbors, who attempted to subdue him while contacting Campus Safety.
He was charged at 2:11 a.m., Feb. 26 at the Saratoga Springs Police Station and was let go without bail on March 2. Conditions for his release dictate that Perez will have to stay off campus unless attending class or campus disciplinary proceedings. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 23.
In the second burglary, an intruder entered an empty room through either an opened window or an unlocked door, and a small personal safe with cash inside was taken. The trespasser was not identified. "It is my intuition that the intruder was a student who may have known the resident, and therefore knew that the safe was in the room," said Dennis Conway, director of Campus Safety.
In the final break-in, an eyewitness saw a college-aged white male walk into an unlocked room. The young man damaged a computer by urinating on it. The victim was asleep during the burglary and was unable to recognize any of the suspects.
Having three break-ins in such a short period of time is unusual. "Students need to tighten up and lock their doors even when they go down to do the laundry. Too many students prop their doors open and that's when we have our biggest issues," Conway said.
The college receives, on average, between 12 and 14 burglaries per year. Burglaries differ from larceny, in that larceny involves theft in a public place, explained Conway.
"We've put fliers around campus to make students aware of the importance of locking their doors and being aware of the people around them. Additionally, the staff are very aware and are keeping an eye on things," Conway said.
If anyone sees anything or has any information they should contact Campus Safety via the TIPS hotline x8477. "They can leave a confidential message, we like to follow up on that information," Conway said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
George Eliot
posted 3/08/10 @ 8:03 AM EST
I think desecrate is a little too dramatic, not quite appropriate. Nice article anyway, Gabe.
-G.E.
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