Thefts of bikes, scooters, wallets and a car have happened at buildings across Winthrop campus.
By Chase Duncan
Copy Editor
News
Over a dozen vehicle break-ins, thefts and suspicious person sightings were reported in the Winthrop University campus area during the month of September.
Winthrop University Police Department’s Chief of Police Charles Yearta emailed the student body on Sept. 15 to alert students of the sudden uptick of reported break-ins and larcenies.
“WUPD has been notified by numerous victims that their vehicles were broken into and rummaged through while parked in the area of College Avenue,” Yearta said. “Victims also reported items being stolen off their porches and property, also within the area of College Avenue. Although some of the items have been recovered, other items have not.”
The first entry involving vehicle theft in the WUPD’s online daily case log for September was reported on Sept. 11. A victim reported that their bike was stolen from the rack located near the railroad side entrance to Walk2Campus, sometime between Sept. 9 and 11.
The second incident was reported on Sept. 14, when a student contacted and spoke to a WUPD officer about an incident that occurred early in the morning on Sept. 8. The case log for the incident said that video footage shows “the subject appears to be [looking] into vehicles
and walks up onto the back porch and tried to tamper with the back door.” The prowler then left the area.
Another set of similar incidents was reported at a house on College Avenue on Sept. 14, where multiple victims reported vehicular larceny. One victim told the responding WUPD officer that someone attempted to break into their vehicle, while the other reported that someone stole their scooter off of their porch.
Two days later on Sept. 16, a WUPD officer discovered multiple vehicles in the Ward parking lot had been burglarized between 12:30 a.m. and 9:30. a.m. One vehicle’s driver side door was damaged and a rear passenger window broken. While examining video footage, WUPD discovered that a car was stolen from the lot as well. The incident is still marked as “active” in the case log as of Sept. 20.
On Sept. 17, multiple thefts were reported across campus. Two scooters were reported stolen from the Thurmond Building and near Dinkins Hall. The scooter from the Thurmond Building was stolen from outside room 306, while the other scooter was reportedly taken after its owner left it at a tree near the Dinkins lawn during an event.
Additionally, a pair of Airpods were reported stolen on the same day by a student who said they dropped their wireless headphones in front of Rutledge while riding their scooter.
The following day on Sept. 18, two incidents of burglary/larceny were reported at Phelps Hall.
The first incident involved a student who reported to WUPD early that day that their wallet had been stolen while working in Phelps Hall. The wallet had held items such as their Winthrop ID, social security card, a set of keys and other items. A search of the area was performed but did not uncover the lost item.
The second incident was reported later that night by a student who reported that someone had broken into their room and stolen items as well as money. The student had a video camera set up in the room which had captured video footage of the suspected person entering the room. The WUPD officer who responded to the call located the suspect and charged them with burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm on school property and possession of a handgun under the age of 18.
A student reported that their skateboard had been stolen on Sept. 24. The student told the WUPD officer who responded to their call that they had been riding their skateboard near the West Center and Hardin Gardens when one of the bolts on their board fell off. While the student looked for their missing bolt, they noticed that their skateboard had been stolen. The case was administratively closed due to lack of a lead.
Two days later on Sept. 26, a WUPD officer responded to West Thomson Hall and met with a student in reference to their scooter being stolen from the bike rack outside the hall. The student that their scooter was locked up. The scooter was unable to be tracked by its serial number and the case is logged as administratively closed.
The same day, a student reported that their bike had been stolen from Lee Wicker Hall. The student told the responding officer that they had secured their bike with a lock to the Lee Wicker staircase. The case is logged as administratively closed.
The last reported case of larceny during the month was reported on Sept. 28 at West Thomson Hall, where an officer responded to a student’s report of their stolen scooter. The student said the scooter had last been seen when they chained it to the Thomson Hall bike rack before they left the area for the weekend. The case is logged as administratively closed.
