Members of the University of Idaho’s Kappa Sigma and Phi Gamma Delta fraternities and Alpha Phi sorority returned from winter break to find their houses had been broken into with a variety of items missing.
Lt. Dave Lehmitz of the Moscow Police Department said the three houses on Elm Street were the only ones reportedly broken into during winter break.
Items ranging from electronics to jewelry, to alcohol and firearms were reported as stolen, Lehmitz said.
Approximately 40 members of Kappa Sigma were affected by the burglaries, fraternity president Andy Gonzalez said.
“There were a lot of speakers stolen — Xboxes, Play Stations, games and movies — a lot of electronics,” Gonzalez said. “Our first and third floors were hit the hardest. It was weird, it seemed like they set stuff in the hallways and were going to come back for it, but never did.”
Gonzalez said to his knowledge this is the first time his house has been broken into. Several precautions are being taken to prevent future break-ins from happening, he said.
“We’re working with our corporation board to start replacing stuff, and making sure our locks are up to code, and that our doors aren’t sticking,” Gonzalez said. “We’re just trying to get our house locked up as tightly as possible, especially before spring and summer breaks.”
Lehmitz said students should bring their valuable items home with them during the holidays.
The investigation is ongoing, and suspected burglars have yet to be discovered.
Lehmitz said the next step is to obtain a thorough description of each student’s missing property.
“We need to start checking our pawnshops and out-of-the-area pawnshops,” he said. “I believe we’ll be able to get a lot of the property recovered, but without the proper identification we won’t be able to return anything to it’s rightful owners.”
Lehmitz said anybody with information regarding the burglaries is encouraged to contact the MPD, and is able to do so anonymously.