Residents burglarized in Holly apartments

Several rooms in the Holly Apartment complex were burglarized two weekends ago.

According to a University Police report, more than $2,500 in property was stolen from Holly B and C, but so far police have no suspects.

The thefts took place late on the night of Aug. 30 and lasted until about 3 the next morning, the report said.

The stolen items reported include a laptop computer valued at $2,000, a television valued at $100 and 30 DVDs valued at $450, said Sgt. Mike Klingebiel, spokesman for University Police.

“Property crimes are not uncommon (on campus) when so many residents have busy schedules and tend to focus on school and not the protection of their property,” Klingebiel said. “We recommend when you have property on campus don’t buy the most expensive items.”

He said that none of the burglaries were reported as forced entry.

“I don’t recall anyone mentioning forced entry. That would be a little unique for the crimes on campus,” Klingebiel said. “Generally we see a lot of what we call ‘crimes of opportunity,’ which is when residents leave their doors to their common area or suites unlocked.”

However, burglarizing dorms is nothing new to the Tampa campus.

According to the Crime Statistics Report for 2001-02 on UP’s Web site, there were 64 total on-campus burglaries reported directly to UP in Tampa from 1999-01.

Ruth Daley, a resident assistant for Holly A, said she was an RA for Holly B last year and burglaries occurred then as well.

“Last year around the end of the school year, Holly B had a lot robbed because doors were constantly propped open,” Daley said.

She said it is against policy for residents to leave their doors propped or unlocked, but residents continued to break the rules so they can run quick errands.

She said that because the residence halls are located near Fletcher Avenue, increased security is important because it is a major entrance location.

Klingebiel said there are no suspects for the burglaries yet.

“We are actively investigating and looking for information from the community,” he said.

If anyone has information they can call 974-2628 or 974-TIPS.”