Burglars snatched several hundred dollars worth of electronics and toilet paper from two separate student apartments in Riverpark Towers earlier this week.
Ohio University juniors William J. Tapper, 20, from Toledo, and Kevin Taylor Strang, 20, from Zanesville, told police Wednesday the burglars robbed their apartments sometime between Nov. 10 and Nov. 11, according to police reports.
Tapper told police the burglars had stolen about $330 worth of electronics, including DVDs, video games and an iPod Nano worth $150.
Strang told police the burglars had stolen about $380 in DVDs and video games.
Tapper and Strang, who reported the crimes within 30 minutes of each other, live in buildings 34 and 38 within the complex. Neither student could tell investigators when the burglars entered their apartments, but both said people were in their apartments at the time.
Tapper, who is studying broadcast journalism, said he thinks he and his roommate were sleeping when the burglar entered their apartment and stole the items -which included a 12-pack of toilet paper. He added he could not imagine why a burglar would take the toilet paper.
(It was) us being stupid and not locking the door
he said, adding that he had not heard of the second robbery.
Strang said the burglars must have raided his apartment between 2:30 a.m. and around 10:00 a.m. Wednesday. Strang, his roommate and Strang's friend were playing a new video game in their apartment. Strang and his friend left the apartment for the night, but his roommate stayed behind and went sleep around 2:30 a.m. His roommate left the door unlocked, thinking that Strang and his friend would return that night, Strang said. When Strang returned about seven-and-a-half hours later, he noticed the items were gone.
He added it was odd the burglar took an Xbox and video games but left a television, which was in his living room, and his and his roommate's laptops, which were in the kitchen within plain view of the doorway. The burglar also left without a PlayStation 3 and two flat-screen televisions, which were in the bedrooms.
The case remains under investigation, according to police reports. Athens Police Captain Tom Pyle said he had not seen the report and could not comment. The officers who responded to the call could not be reached to comment about whether they think the cases are related. 1
News
Frank Thomas
