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Recent car break-ins affect students

Since 2011, Oklahoma Christian University has followed the mantra “OC is home.” However, a recent slew of car break-ins in the Phase 3, 4 and 6 parking lots has some students on campus feeling less than safe at their beloved college “home.”  

Junior Brendan King was one of several students affected by the recent thefts. King said he returned to his car—located in the Phase 6 apartments—on the morning of Jan. 16 after driving it the night before, only to find his driver’s side door and his glove box both ajar. Believing he made a minor mental mistake, it was only until he went to get food he realized something was off.

“Normally I keep a cup of change in the middle of my car, so when I went to put the change in the cup, I noticed it wasn’t there,” King said. “ That’s when I started to put the pieces together in my head.”

King said when he finally pulled over to fully assess the damage, he noticed his sunglasses, car insurance and a basketball he was keeping in his backseat had all gone missing. This discovery soon after prompted a report to campus police.

Phase 6 was not the only apartment affected by the thefts. Junior Luana Miranda, who lives in Phase 4,  said she was preparing to drive to her morning class on Jan. 16 when she noticed the crackers she kept in her center console were thrown all over the car, something which alerted her as cause for concern. Miranda believes the apartment’s seclusion from campus may be a huge contributor to the attacks.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because it’s a little more secluded from the rest of campus,” Miranda said. “I lived in Tinius last semester, and there’s always a lot of cars and people coming in and out.”

According to Miranda, her sunglasses, speaker and a name-brand reading glasses case were taken. Miranda said she no longer feels as safe as she used to when doing everyday activities on campus.

“In Phase 4, the Laundromat is outside, and now I’m scared to even go outside and do my laundry there,” said Miranda. “I have to worry that somebody could just come in and steal stuff.”

Chief of Campus Police Greg Giltner said he is working tirelessly on this case, hoping to catch the perpetrators as soon as possible. The attacks all happened in the time frame of 3-3:15 a.m., with minimal lighting and visibility being the main attractions of the apartments.

Giltner said he has seen the thieves on camera.  However, due to insufficient lighting, their faces were not fully recognizable. He said he was able to identify both of the cars used in each incident, one being an all-black Jeep and the other being a mid-sized vehicle—possibly a Chevy—most noticeably marked with a large dent in the driver’s side door.

“I’ve been here for 3 years now, and I haven’t addressed anything to this magnitude,” Giltner said. “Different people, different race, different sex. I’m not sure why they even targeted Phase 6.”

According to Giltner, punishment for the thieves could be far less severe if they cooperate with law enforcement. However, the decision on punishment is not determined by Campus Police.

“If they would return the stuff and pay some type restitution or at least reimburse the students, you’re less likely to have charges pressed against you,” said Giltner. “I’m willing to negotiate that to an extent, but it falls to the victim.”

In order to prevent further theft incidents, students are advised to keep their doors locked. If any student is affected by theft or another issue of severity, Campus Police can be reached at 405-425-5502, and their emergency number is 405-425-5500. If the matter is life threatening, students should call 911.

 

Correction: This story was updated to correct an incorrect date.

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One Comment

  1. John Doe John Doe January 29, 2019

    Unfortunately this has been going on for many years. I started school in 1987 and had my car broken into twice, once at the dorms, once at the apartments. Nothing new sadly.

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