Four vehicles burglarized on campus since Monday
A recent string of vehicle burglaries across campus has Utah State University Police encouraging individuals to keep their valuables out of plain sight when left in their cars.
Officer James Barnes said four vehicles have been burglarized on campus since Monday night.
Barnes said two incidents of auto burglary occurred in the terraced parking lot next to the Spectrum. One was handled by Logan police and the latest incident occurred in the Taggart Student Center parking terrace Tuesday night.
“It does appear that there is somewhat of a local pattern, where just recently in the past 48 hours this is about the fourth one that we’ve had,” Barnes said.
Barnes said the incidents on Monday night occurred around 11 p.m., while Tuesday night’s incident happend earlier in the evening.
The owner of the vehicle involved in Tuesday’s incident parked his car in the parking terrace at about 6 p.m. and returned at 9:45 p.m. to find his rear-door window shattered and his laptop computer missing from the back seat, Barnes said.
The owner of the white, four-door Honda Civic, who wished to remain unidentified, parked his vehicle on the first floor of the terrace.
According to the USU Police Department Web site www.usu.edu/usupd, 31 auto burglaries occurred in 2002, 45 in 2001 and 28 in 2000.
Barnes said there have been similar incidents with vehicles parked in the parking terrace in the past, as well.
“The terrace offers a unique circumstance in that it sort of conceals iteself,” Barnes said. “Especially on the third level, someone can move around relatively unseen.”
Barnes said the incident can serve as a reminder for individuals to not leave valuables in plain sight in their vehicles.
He said he recommends individuals cover valuables with a blanket or lock them in the trunk of their vehicles.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is encouraged to contact the USU Police Department at 797-1939.
-str@cc.usu.edu