Despite a decrease in arrests and citations on Green Beer Day, four off-campus burglaries were reported between Thursday, March 13 and Sunday, March 23.
University Communications alerted Miami University students, faculty and staff Monday, March 24 of four burglaries of off-campus residences that occurred between March 13 and 23.
The e-mail stated that various items such as laptop computers to video game consoles to textbooks were taken from student residences while they were not home.
All four burglaries occurred on the south side of Oxford's Mile Square. Miami senior Hunter Olson and junior Jeff Puthoff reported March 17 that their house had been entered via their front windows, and that an X-Box, guitar, speakers and various movies had been removed from their residence at 717 S. Main St.
In addition, Miami senior Christine Hajdin at 525 S. Main St. reported a missing bicycle from her garage March 24, but she was unsure when it had been taken during the previous week.
Miami junior Ryan Soskin reported a theft of several items from his 115 S. College Ave. residence including a laptop, a game system and gaming equipment-all totaling to $2300, according to Soskin. He said that the burglary was peculiar since he or she ignored two plasma screen TVs and another laptop computer.
"It was strange what they chose to take," Soskin said. "Someone would know that students were out of town (for spring break). It was an obvious time to come and take valuable things from the house."
Miami senior Doug Capadona experienced a burglary on the evening of Green Beer Day March 13. Capadona told police that someone had stolen his laptop, several black and white pictures he had taken and various items of clothing between 7-9 p.m. that night. The report states the windowpane was open with a damaged screen. Mud covered the floors of the room.
Capadona said he did not believe that Green Beer Day festivities were the cause of the burglary of his apartment at 716 S. College Ave. He said it was the weather that prompted him to leave his window open.
"I left my window open because it was the first nice day in a while," Capadona said.
Besides the burglaries on Green Beer Day, the Oxford Police Department (OPD) approximated that there were 24 arrests and citations that day, down from 2007's 34.
Oxford police detective Sgt. John Buchholz said no one was brought into the Butler County Jail since no arrests escalated to the point that an intoxicated individual needed to be incarcerated.
Buchholz attributes the decreased number of arrests to the elevated number of patrol units monitoring Oxford March 13.
"We've found that by having an officer on every corner, it keeps people calm," Buccholz said.
Buchholz said that in his 33 years of experience with Green Beer Day, not very much has changed. He said that because revelers awake at 5:30 a.m. to begin the festivities, the evening is less busy since the drinking dies out by early evening.
He also said that because Miami holds classes that day and students are preparing for spring break trips, participants are less likely to get out of control.
Sgt. Ben Spilman of the Miami University Police Department said that only two arrests were made that day for alcohol, with one driver being found under the influence on Spring Street near the Shriver Center.
