Several criminal acts of petty larceny and criminal trespassing were committed at the Meadows of Geneseo housing community on Oct. 26 and Friday Oct. 27. Seven unlocked cars were broken into and several items were stolen.
The cars were easy targets for thieves because they weren’t locked, according to Village Chief of Police Eric Osganian. Although multiple cars were disturbed, none were noticeably damaged, Osganian said.
“It looks like the cars were left unlocked and the thieves took advantage of that opportunity,” Osganian said. “We have a list of items that were taken … but we currently don’t have any list of suspects.”
Some individuals found that their cars were broken into but that nothing was stolen, according to Osganian. The only notable disturbance these car owners reported was shifted papers in the glove compartment.
Geneseo Village Police does not have a lead on potential suspects, but it does have a theory of the motivation behind the break-ins, according to Osganian.
“What we’ve seen is that they’ll take the property and they will pawn it or sell it for drug money,” Osganian said.
Among the valuables that were stolen were a Michelob golf bag, 12 golf clubs, Ray Ban sunglasses, a Vera Bradley purse, a Garrison GPS unit and a Pflueger spinning reel, according to official police documents.
Resident of the Meadows junior Emily Meyer said that she did not find the Meadows to be a risky place for residents. The majority of the time there is not a lot of crime or violence, according to Meyer. The only qualm Meyer noted was that the Meadows can get loud on the weekends.
“There’s not of lot of crime here as far as I know of,” Meyer said. “There are some parties, but that doesn’t ever turn into crime or violence or anything. It’s pretty low-key.”
Osganian recommended that students who want to prevent their property from being stolen should follow certain rules of common sense concerning what items are left in their cars. Osganian specifically advised students who live in the Meadows to keep valuables out of sight and to keep cars securely locked.
“It feels like about the same as it was last year. Normally at the beginning of every semester we would have something like this until people figured out to just lock their vehicles,” Osganian said. “Geneseo is a warm and inviting place, but you can’t leave your car, apartment or your house unlocked because someone can take advantage of that.”u
Seven cars at the Meadows Drive Apartments were targeted for burglaries on Oct. 26 and Friday Oct. 27 by unknown thieves. Such events are relatively common early in the academic year before students begin to handle property more securely. (Annalee Bainnson/Photo Editor)