Many apartment complexes burglarized
Three held hostage in Ashby break-in
By Kelly Conniff, staff writer
Posted on January 18, 2007

HARRISONBURG — A recent incident involving two students being tied up and robbed at gunpoint was the latest in a series of break-ins that occurred over Winter Break.

According to police reports, three black men wearing ski masks — one armed — broke into an Ashby Crossing apartment on the morning of Jan. 11, tied up the residents and stole their belongings.

Upon hearing about the break-in, many students questioned the safety of their everyday environment.

“I generally feel safe during the day,” said Ashby resident, junior Allison Brown. “But at night, Ashby and Harrisonburg in general can be scary.”

Following the incident, Ashby Crossing sent out an e-mail to its residents, reminding them to lock their doors and be cautious. JMU followed this by posting and e-mailing a bulletin published by the Harrisonburg Police Department that contained a similar message.

The incident occurred right after Winter Break, a period in which WHSV-TV reported that 17 student apartments were broken into.

Junior Kyle Hart’s Pheasant Run townhouse was broken into and several things were taken, including video games and DVDs.

“It was disconcerting,” Hart said. “It makes you wonder how safe Harrisonburg really is.”
HPD Lt. Kurt Boshart said this often occurs during any kind of break that JMU has.

“When students go away for breaks, people come in and they break in and steal valuables,” Boshart said. “This has been going on for several years. What we do is try to educate by getting with complexes, management at the apartments, student groups, send out newsletters and e-mails and get information in articles with different media. We want people to be aware that this happens.”

During breaks, the HPD increases patrols in these areas, looking for suspicious people or signs of break-ins.

Boshart cautioned students to be careful during breaks by locking their doors and windows and taking valuables home. He also warned that students should always err on the side of safety at all times, making sure that they lock their doors even when they are at home and not hesitate to call the police if they sense something suspicious is occurring.
Boshart said that in order to recover stolen items, students should keep a record of important information such as serial numbers and pictures of valuables that they might have in their apartments.

Many students said they feel specifically targeted by criminals because they are members of the JMU student community, and Boshart agreed.

“Students need to understand they are targeted and seen as opportunities for criminals,”

Boshart said. “We need to eliminate that opportunity.”

Hart agreed, citing his location and the time of the year as one of the reasons that his townhouse was broken into.

“They knew we were gone and took full advantage,” Hart said.