Cheney Mason/Winonan
When first-year student Moriah Larson walked into her dorm room after class, she didn’t even think twice about her door being unlocked.
But she soon discovered a big problem when looking for her purse.
“At first when I came back to my room, I didn’t really notice anything was missing,” Larson said. “I was looking for my purse and realized it wasn’t there, so I started looking through my closet and noticed three jackets were gone, my Nike’s were gone and my Beats headphones were gone.”
Larson did what she could do to find the perpetrator and recover her belongings.
“I contacted Winona State security and filed a police report to try to find who stole my things,” Larson said.
Winona State security told Larson they would look at cameras in her hall to try and determine the suspect.
Larson said she felt violated thinking about someone going through her possessions.
“I could tell they actually went through my drawers and that is how I found other things were out of place,” Larson said. “It sucks, but I always have to lock my door now.”
Larson’s story is not the only case, as students around Winona State’s campus have their own experiences with theft.
Another student, who wished to remain anonymous, experienced a break-in in their dorm and caught the intruder in the act.
“I felt violated and betrayed,” the student said. “Stealing is bad and it’s terrible. I always lock my stuff away.”
Emily Lepak thought leaving her door unlocked would not become an issue until she found an expensive watch was missing from her desk.
“I was devastated. It was a memory from the trip I took my senior year with my mom,” Lepak said. “I replaced it, but I am still frustrated about it.”
Lepak’s roommate added, “We always lock our door now, and I never leave things laying around.”
Other students on campus have expressed their own concerns about stealing, even though they have yet to personally experience the crime.
Student Casey Dravis said she under-stands why theft would be so frustrating for students.
“I have never personally have had anything stolen from me yet, but it does happen. And it would really suck. It’s horrible what some people do,” Dravis said.
Student Josh Fischmann also said thefts give people an uneasy sense about living where they do.
“I think stealing is wrong,” Fischmann said. “Nobody should have to worry about getting their things stolen.”
To report any information about these crimes contact Winona State University Security at 507-457-5555.