Thefts spike in campus parking lots

Author: Michelle Constant

Parking lot theft increased over Winter Term, as multiple vehicles were broken into near the Atwater parking lot. Additionally, a student reported that an iPod had been stolen from an unlocked vehicle near the FIC parking lot.

In the final week of J-term, the Department of Public Safety received two reports of ski thefts from vehicle rooftop carriers in the Kenyon and CFA parking lots. In both cases, the ski holders were broken open in order for the skis to be stolen. No specific damage to the vehicles has been reported.

The crimes were committed by opening unlocked cars, smashing windows of locked cars and breaking the locking mechanisms on the car top carriers. According to Lisa Boudah, director of Public Safety, the College currently has no suspicions or evidence as to the offender "responsible for the thefts from vehicles in the school parking lots." There does not seem to be any trend among the cases of theft that would point to one specific culprit.

According to Boudah, "the statistics will show that we have had an increase [in vehicle theft] this winter." While at least five vehicle thefts have been reported this J-term alone, eight total vehicle thefts were reported in the last academic year, only two of which occurred in the month of January. In the 2003-2004 academic year, only two vehicle thefts were reported, one of which occurred during the month of January. No incidents of theft had been reported from the Atwater, FIC, or Kenyon student parking lots in the past two academic years.

In an attempt to combat this campus-wide problem, Public Safety Officers continue to patrol student parking lots while on duty and have reported the crimes to the Middlebury Police for assistance. Boudah claims that "we have had thefts from vehicles at other times" and that the cold weather has aided in increasing crime by keeping students and faculty indoors in the late hours during which these crimes have occurred.

According to Tom Corbin, the College's assistant treasurer, the College will not be taking action to compensate the owners of damaged vehicles and stolen items.

"The College is only responsible for a student's personal property if the College caused the damage or loss," said Corbin. For example, the College compensates students for damage in the event of a water leak in a dormitory, but does not provide insurance coverage for the personal property of students.

Additionally, mailroom theft has stopped since early January, when the Vermont State Police charged Steven Browne with four counts of felony. Browne allegedly stole paychecks from the College mailroom, attempting to cash them using a fake ID. Browne has been arraigned and returned to court for a status conference. Boudah said that if convicted of any crime, felony, or misdemeanor, the court will decide Browne's penalty. Though there was not enough evidence to assume that Browne personally stole the checks from the College mailroom, he was identified as cashing these checks at the bank using stolen forms of identification.