Stephen Lumetta
News Editor
Security and Protective Services (SPS) has recently dealt with several small incidents, including a fire in a trash can in Ebert Art Center and thefts from cars.
The fire in Ebert took place on Feb. 18 at around 3:30 p.m.
“Paper towels were set on fire and dropped/thrown onto the floor of the second floor women’s restroom,” said Director of SPS Steve Glick.
The fire was discovered by a student. The fire appeared to be similar to the fires set in other buildings earlier in the academic year, but Glick could not say for sure whether this fire is connected to the other fires.
“The Fire Department and our office will continue to investigate these incidents,” said Glick.
An increase of thefts from cars has also occurred in recent weeks.
On Feb. 24, three car owners reported stolen items from their cars. The thefts occurred in Lot 18/Wishart, Lot 17/University St, and in the Schoolhouse lot.
Glick believes that these thefts are all connected. Additionally, he said that all of the items taken were valuable. Glick said that he is not aware of any leads that the police may have.
On the morning of Feb. 21, SPS caught suspects going into unlocked cars in Lot 29/Lowry and throwing items out of the cars into the parking lot.
This incident is not considered a theft because Glick believes that all of the items removed from cars were safely recovered.
“While we don’t know for sure [whether the incidents from Feb. 21 and Feb. 24 are connected], my first thought is probably not,” said Glick.
Glick said the “Big Two” ways to prevent theft from cars are to lock the cars and to keep valuables out of sight. Another way to prevent theft is to report suspicious activity or people.
