By TRENTON JUDD
Staff Reporter
A Northwestern student’s duplex was burglarized Feb. 17, and the perpetrator is still on the loose.
In the Alva Police report regarding the incident, officer Anthony Fogle said a call about the burglary came to the police just before 9 p.m.
“Officer Caviness and I arrived at the residence to investigate,” the report said. “I was told by Undersheriff Dale that an individual had broken into the residence and had pilfered through the victims laundry, taken a bottle of perfume, and a diamond ear ring. I spoke with the victim and was told she had been at her residence during the morning at 9:50 a.m. She informed me that when she arrived at her residence at 7:45 p.m. she observed that the back door to the duplex had been left opened.”
A search of the area found nothing.
The victim, Victoria Schnaufer, agreed to an interview in hopes that the women of Alva will be more cautious when leaving their houses and to help prevent an incident like this from happening again.
Schnaufer said, “Police told me that incidents like this dated back to 1998. The burglar stole my earring, perfume, and my dirty laundry. The police told me that once he’s gotten what he wants then he goes away and doesn’t come back, but my personal space was violated and I don’t feel safe. The police said that they had a DNA warrant for his arrest, but they didn’t test for fingerprints.”
According to Alva Police Chief Gary Sanderson, “These incidents may have been in the same area, but they were not in close proximity to each other. It is possible that at one time these incidents may have been connected, but due to the time span it is hard to tell. Sometimes during an investigation of a burglary we will dust for fingerprints, but the situation varies because sometimes a crime scene is too contaminated to be able to dust for prints. We are doing the best we can to catch the perpetrator.”
According to Officer Wade Suffron “the best prevention methods you can use for a burglary are to lock your doors and windows whether you’re in your house or leaving your house. Be very selective of who you let into your house and make sure to keep valuable items hidden away when you have guests over. If you’re going to be gone for an extended period of time then let your neighbors know or you can even let us know and we will make the effort to do more patrols around your house while you’re gone.”
Officer Brian File said “another great tip for preventing burglary is to just be aware of your surroundings and if you are going on vacation then don’t post about it on social media sites.”
The investigation of the burglary is still going on and no arrests have been made.