Eight vehicles were broken into on Friday in the early hours of the morning
According to Sophomore Cassidy Rice, who parks her car outside of  Westerlin Hall, the initial call to public safety was made just after 4 a.m. It was at that time that a person was reported running away from the scene.
Augustana Police and Public Safety sent a campus-wide email just after 10 a.m. on Friday.
“Overnight, items were taken from several unlocked vehicles on and near campus. The Rock Island Police Department is investigating, ” said the email from Deputy Cheif of Augustana Police Mark Beckwith
Rice said she was shocked by the news of her break-in.
” They called me at 7:15 in the morning and I didn’t answer because I was asleep,” said Rice. “They left me a voicemail saying my car got broken into.”
The office of Public Safety told Rice that about 8 cars had been broken into.
Rice said that the criminal emptied out a drawstring bag full of items, and stole only the bag.
“Somebody else had a laptop stolen.” said Rice.
Rice said that her glove compartment and change compartments were also damaged.
According to Rice, the Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) were contacted in hopes of catching the culprit.
“They called the CSI and they were going to use black powder on my car to see if they can check for fingerprints and see if they can figure out who did this” said Rice. “I was only allowed to touch one door and that was it.”
The email from Augustana Police and Public Safety also reminded students to lock their cars, and to keep valuables out of plain sight.
“If you see any persons acting suspicious, DO NOT CONFRONT THEM. Call Augustana Police/Public Safety at 309-794-7711,” said Beckwith in the email.
This is a developing story. Check back for additional information at www.AugustanaObserver.com.