Two off-campus student houses, the Wafflehouse and Sesame Street, were broken into on Manning Street last weekend. The suspect stole a pair of boots, a jacket, pocket-knives, and food items.
The break-ins occurred Friday Feb. 15. The house tenants returned to find various items missing and the smell of cigarette smoke still hanging in the air.
“Well, my housemate and I came back on Friday night at 11:30. The door was unlocked, and we smelled cigarette smoke. We went to the kitchen, and the smell got stronger. In my bedroom, the smell was awful,” said senior Jonathan Moeller, a resident of Sesame Street.
Moeller found that his boots were missing, as well as a small collection of pocket knives. Valuable electronics, such as his laptop, were not taken.
The only thing that didn’t belong was a pair of gloves, most likely left behind by the intruder.
At the Wafflehouse, the thief took food items, including goldfish crackers, ground beef, and a gallon of milk, but left valuables such as electronics and textbooks untouched.
“It’s kind of an odd list of items. He didn’t even go upstairs,” said senior Rebecca Weiland, a resident of the Wafflehouse.
Weiland said that the landlord who owns both properties was also robbed – the thief took an air compressor.
“We don’t have breaking and enterings very often,” Public Safety Director Christopher Gutowski said. “It fits a profile of someone who is destitute and needs some food. I don’t think it’s any college kids pulling any malarkey.”
Moeller said that he called the police immediately. “They came over and interviewed us for about an hour. They were very helpful,” Moeller said. “They left us their contact information, and they did come and check on us Saturday.”
Weiland said that the police has sent a patrol car to their house every night since the break-in, and that a patrol officer walks around their property with a flashlight, checking doors and windows. “It makes us feel very safe,” Weiland said. Gutowski said that his detective returns from Boston tomorrow, and that he has been fully-informed of the situation. They plan to have more conversations with the victims of the break-in, as well as look at the neighborhood for anyone who fits the profile.
“This is a safe community,” Gutowski said. “Many people don’t lock their houses, and many people leave their keys in their car. This is unusual, and we’ll take a look at it.”
On Saturday, Moeller and his housemates contacted their landlord, who plans to install better locks and security lights. He and his housemates have begun locking their rooms. At the Wafflehouse, all the women are taking further precautions to prevent against any further thefts.
“We have that Hillsdale mentality of leaving our laptops out,” Weiland said, “but we’re more careful about keeping everything locked up.”
