Several items were stolen from the lobby of Harrington Auditorium Wednesday afternoon. Members of the Alpine Skiing Team and the Indoor Track Team came back from their workouts to find their bags, keys, and clothing missing.
The culprit or culprits came into the lobby after the athletes had departed, grabbed the items and brought them into the men's locker room where they were searched through and invaluable items left behind. Not all the items were left out in the open either. Two victims had hid their belongings in the ticket booths located on the sides of the lobby prompting them to believe the thief or thieves were well aware of the habits of the athletes.
Of the items stolen, some of the less valuable things were recovered. However, several car keys, a pair of wind pants, and someone's bag containing textbooks still remain missing.
While normally Harrington can be considered a safe place to leave your items while you are out doing a workout, that isn't always the case. There are often kids from other schools, as well as, local residents who come to Harrington to use the facilities. The campus police do an excellent job in kicking most of these people off the premises but cannot be everywhere all the time. Also, while there is sometimes a work study student in the lobby of Harrington to provide security, one is only present a small fraction of the time.
Therefore, all athletes need to be aware of this situation so that they will not become the next victims. Keep your personal belongings in sight at all times unless you can lock them up in a locker.
Anyone who may have seen a suspicious person or group of people in either Harrington Auditorium or the men's locker room at that time or those who have any information on this crime, please contact the campus police. Hopefully, the thief or thieves can be found and these items returned to their original owners.