A Dodge Avenger was stolen between Clarke Lane and Schutte Road.
Sam Preston, assistant director of Public Safety, said the car was stolen between 11:30 p.m. Sunday and 8:50 a.m. Monday.
“We got information that the Posey County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate that vehicle,” Preston said.
Preston said there have been several stolen vehicles on the West Side.
Breckin Sauer, sophomore business administration major, is the owner of the stolen Dodge Avenger.
Sauer noticed his car was missing Monday morning and called Public Safety.
That really ticked me off because we can afford thousands of dollars worth of mini robots to deliver food everywhere, but we can’t keep campus safe.” — Breckin Sauer, sophomore business administration major
Preston said there is no footage of the vehicle being stolen because there are no security cameras located at the apartments on Clarke Lane and Schutte Road.
Sauer said he left his keys in the car, but it bothered him that the campus did not have cameras behind the Willard Building where his car was parked.
“That really ticked me off because we can afford thousands of dollars worth of mini robots to deliver food everywhere, but we can’t keep campus safe,” Sauer said. “We can’t have cameras or we have to get rid of the buttons that prevent people from getting potentially sexually assaulted or assaulted on campus just to have these little robots.”
Sauer said he will lock his car next time.
University Strategic Communication issued a timely warning to students through email at 12:20 p.m. per Jeanne Clery Act requirements.
The Jeanne Clery Act is a federal law requiring colleges and universities to disclose information regarding any crime that occurred on or near campus areas.
How are people getting on campus and stealing students’ cars?” — Ahmira Pickett, freshman pre-veterinary biology major
Ahmira Pickett, freshman pre-veterinary biology major, said she got worried when she read the email.
“I thought it was my own car,” Pickett said. “I was freaking out. I had texted my friend. I was like, ‘Have you seen my car around this morning?’ I thought it was my own car.”
Pickett said there should have been a better way for Public Safety to address the incident.
“How are people getting on campus and stealing students’ cars?” Pickett said.
Caitlyn Boyd, senior English major, said when she opened the email, it surprised her to read a car was stolen on campus since it is supposed to be a safe space for students.
“I was definitely surprised because I hadn’t heard of anything like that happening on campus before,” Boyd said. “It’s also obviously kind of scary because I drive here every single day, and we clearly want to feel safe on campus.”
Boyd said students should lock their cars and avoid having valuables in the car.
Preston said the car theft has no correlation to the vandalism incident with cheese slices placed on vehicles earlier in the fall semester.
“I’d like to just take this opportunity to still remind people that, to make sure that they keep their doors locked, they don’t have valuables in plain view,” Preston said. “If they have to secure them in their vehicle, they should consider locking it in the trunk, in their glove box or at least to show them whether or not any valuables are inside.”
Noah Biggerstaff, sophomore manufacturing engineering technology major, said students should lock their cars and not park in “sketchy areas.”
To report any suspicious activity on campus, students and faculty can call Public Safety at 812-492-7777 or use the Rave Guardian App.