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

Two Village B Apartments Robbed

Several items of very expensive jewelry and four Patagonia jackets were stolen from Alumni Square 86 sometime between 4:30 and 11:00 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, according to resident Tatiana Gutierrez (SFS ’01). Jewelry and jackets were also taken twelve days earlier from Alumni Square 82, one stairwell over, according to resident Allison Murphy (SFS ’01). The Department of Public Safety has confirmed that both incidents took place and that jewelry was taken from apartment 86, but has not released any information on items stolen in the first burglary. In both instances, perpetrators entered the apartments through doors that were open, Gutierrez said. After the first burglary, Gutierrez said, residents were advised through word-of-mouth not to leave doors open when leaving their apartments. “We preach all the time, `Please lock the door.’ You leave the door open and it’s fair game,” said Department of Public Safety Sgt. Gilbert Bussey. Bussey intends to post flyers warning Alumni Square residents to take extreme care in the future to lock doors when leaving their apartments. “It’s especially frustrating. . It’s something that could have been prevented if we had been certain that our doors were locked,” said apartment 86 resident Meghan Nolan (COL ’01). The earlier break-in took place on October 12, Columbus Day, between two and ten in the morning in Alumni Square 82, according to Murphy. The items stolen there also included jewelry and a Patagonia jacket, as well as perfume, bags, shoes and hair accessories. “I’m surprised that DPS didn’t tell us about the other burglary,” said Murphy. According to Gutierrez, the stolen items were taken from the room she shares with Nolan, the owner of the jackets. No items were reported taken from the other bedroom in the apartment, occupied by Melissa Bell (COL ’01) and Sophia Park (SFS ’01). No one except Park was in the apartment Saturday morning. Gutierrez said that somebody had bolted the back door so it would stay open, allowing the perpetrator or perpetrators to enter the apartment. According to Gutierrez, there was a party in the stairwell outside, where “everyone was drunk.” According to a DPS report, the residents said “all was in order” as of 4:30 a.m. At that time, Park went to bed after speaking on the phone. When Gutierrez returned home around 11:00 she noticed that the phone in the living room was missing. Soon afterwards, the residents realized the jewelry and jackets were also gone. Gutierrez said that even though jewelry and jackets were stolen, none of the residents’ four laptops were taken even though they were in plain view. The only other item unaccounted for was Nolan’s laundry bag, including the laundry inside, as well as several belts. Gutierrez said the bag might have been used to carry away the more expensive items. When the residents realized they had been robbed, they contacted DPS, who arrived around fifteen minutes later, said Gutierrez. Bussey said the DPS report recorded the call as coming in at 11:38 a.m. DPS officers Ed Montgomery, who took the report, and Sgt. Charles Atkins, reported to the scene, said Bussey. Since a sizable amount of jewelry was taken, DPS contacted Metro Police, and Officer R. A. Young arrived shortly after. According to Bussey, the officers spoke to the residents, and looked for signs of forced entry, none of which were found. Bussey said Monday that there were not yet any leads. Bussey said that burglars in similar cases are rarely caught. The four residents wrote down an inventory of what was stolen for the DPS report can be released to the insurance company upon request so compensation can be determined for lost goods, according to Bussey. He said the report does not indicate the lost jackets. On hearing this, Nolan said, “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” Almost four hours was spent discussing the lost jackets with DPS, she said. As for the earlier Alumni Square break-in, Gutierrez said, “What’s really interesting is that [this burglary] was the same thing that happened to them.” Bussey said a big problem for residents is the feeling that possessions are safe at Georgetown regardless of whether a door is locked. “I think sometimes you’re lolled into a sense of false security,” Bussey said.

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