by Jennifer Parsons
Arts & Entertainment Editor
A University of La Verne student returned from an outing with friends to find his black 1989 Chevy S10 Blazer stolen Sunday morning from the Mainiero parking lot, between 1:30 and 10:30 a.m.
Sophomore Jim Brooks came back to his Brandt dorm room around 1:30 a.m. where he parked the vehicle and planned to drive his friend home later that morning. To his dismay, his automobile was missing when they awoke, although it was recovered by police late Wednesday night, the stereo system had been stolen.
After realizing his Blazer had been stolen, Brooks “freaked out” and contacted his Resident Assistant (R.A.) Rick Garcia, who then attempted to contact Campus Safety by telephone, but later discovered that technical problems with his telephone prevented him from doing so. Brooks and Garcia then walked over to Campus Safety’s office, although they said they could not locate an officer.
John Lentz, director of Campus Safety, said, “Campus Safety is available 24 hours and if #6666 is dialed, it directly rings the radio of the officer on duty.”
“One of the security officers said that he was around the parking lot all night, the night my car was stolen, but I don’t believe that,” said Brooks.
The next step Brooks took was filing a report with the La Verne Police Department. According to Brooks, the police officer told him that his vehicle should be recovered within one to two days, and that there are only approximately three to four vehicles a year stolen in La Verne each year.
Campus Safety’s response to the vehicle theft is to “keep a better eye on the parking lots and to be more vigilant,” said Lentz.
“Anything you can do as far as deterring possible auto theft is to purchase a club, an alarm or make sure you have a pull out stereo,” said Lentz.
