Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Break-Ins Surge in Village A

Four burglaries have occurred in Village A in the past two and a half weeks – a total on par with the number of break-ins that occurred in Village A in all of fall 2009.

Shortly after midnight on Monday, a burglar entered a Village A apartment but was unable to steal any items before leaving. The residents of the broken-into apartment reported the incident to the Department of Public Safety at 12:22 a.m., according to DPS Associate Director Joseph Smith. According to residents, the burglar entered the apartment but quickly left after being spotted by one of the students.

“I was sitting in my room, when one of my roommates came in my room, her face completely blank,” said Kimberly Ransom (MSB ’13), a resident of the burglarized apartment. “She said that some person had looked in her room. He was about to go into her room, but she said hello. The guy glanced in her room real quick and then ran out.”

The students confirmed that the burglar did not steal anything from the apartment, noting that the trespasser had been walking through the residence and opening the doors.

Although the Public Safety Alert sent to campus Monday morning said that the suspect entered through an unlocked door, residents of the apartment said that their doors were locked.

“DPS said that there was evidence that the burglar tried to pry open the door, when [DPS] came back to our room today,” resident Zoe Walpole (SFS ’13) said.

Walpole went on to suggest that the burglar used the window to enter.

“There was also evidence that [the burglar] forced open the window,” she said. “DPS found his fingerprints on the windows when they came to investigate that night.”

The suspect was described as a black man between the ages of 18 and 22, about 6 feet tall with a shaved head.

“We think he might have been a student, but we didn’t see him,” Ransom said.

An attempted burglary also occurred in Village A at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, when a resident was walking home from Wisconsin Avenue and Prospect Street. The student reported to the Department of Public Safety Tuesday evening that a male suspect tried to force his way into her apartment. The suspect fled, however, when a male student intervened, pulling the suspect away and forcing him to leave, according to a Public Safety Alert sent to the campus community this afternoon.

The suspect in the attempted burglary is described as a Latino male, 5’9\” to 5’10\” in his mid-20s years, according to the PSA. He was wearing a white sweatshirt, blue jeans and white sneakers.

In the first three burglaries of the past two weeks, the suspects have all entered the apartments through unlocked doors. The target item in the burglaries this semester has been laptops, with every case except the most recent one exclusively involving stolen laptops. In last year’s cases, items ranging from wallets to laptops to televisions were stolen.

John Onieal (COL ’13), a victim in the string of recent burglaries, said that the higher number of break-ins could be due to a lack of security at Village A.

“Village A requires special monitoring, since we’re one of the only housing residences that doesn’t require a GOCard to enter,” said Onieal, whose laptop was stolen recently.

Onieal noted that more than one of the burglaries at Village A occurred at his apartment. He added that DPS had not taken extensive measures to prevent future burglaries.

“[DPS] comes by, asks questions. They didn’t even go into our apartment,” Onieal said.

DPS has not narrowed down its investigation to a single suspect. Onieal said he did not see the suspect who burglarized his apartment.

“One of the times, [the burglar] broke in through the balcony, and one of my roommate’s friends saw his silhouette on the balcony before he fled.” Onieal said of an Oct. 21 break-in at his apartment.

On Monday night, Village A and Upper Class Areas Coordinator Cory Peterson emailed Village A residents reminding them to be vigilant.

“Many of the burglaries that have happened have occurred at residences where a door was unlocked or a window left open. By closing and locking them, you are significantly decreasing the likelihood of a burglary or theft,” Peterson said.

Peterson encouraged students to deadbolt doors and close and lock windows at night and when not in the residence. A community meeting will take place on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. in the Village A community room to discuss the incidents and safety precautions going forward.

No physical injuries were reported in any of the burglaries.

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