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Thursday
MARCH 12, 2009
Students take precautions for Spring Break
Bicycle Found UPD returns prized possession to happy cyclist, others not so lucky
By Theron Brittain Senior News Reporter
By Rachel Nelson News Reporter
Sunburns and hangovers are not the only things students have to worry about in Mexico this Spring Break. The State Department warns that violence in Mexico is at an all-time high. The alert, issued Feb. 20, warns of escalating drug war, daylight gun battles between police and criminals and a booming kidnapping trade. These problems have resulted in deteriorated security standards for U.S. citizens. “While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year, violence has increased recently,” the alert entails. “It is imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations and whom to contact if one becomes a crime victim.” According to the State Department Web site, homicides, robberies, petty thefts and carjackings have increased in the last year throughout the country. Americans traveling to Mexico are advised to exert extra caution while traveling in Mexico City, Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo, Acapulco, Monterrey and Ciudad Juarez.
Jake Johnson thought his mountain bike was gone forever when it was stolen February outside his dorm at San Jacinto hall. “I freaked,” he said. “I found my bike lock there, and it was cut.” Johnson, undeclared sophomore, said he immediately called UPD. They arrived within 10 minutes to take his report. “Eventually, almost three weeks later, they called me and told me they found my bike at the pawn shop,” Johnson said. He said the bike was a gift from his brother. It is worth about $1,200. “I went on a 5-hour bike ride that day I got it (back),” Johnson said. “It was pretty exciting.” Johnson, though more fortunate than others, is not the only student who has had to go through this. An increase in stolen bikes this semester led to two arrests, according to the University Police Department. UPD Officer Otto Glenewinkel said 11 bikes have been stolen from campus this year. The last incident was reported Feb. 15. Glenewinkel said there is usually a ring of people involved when several bikes are stolen in a short amount of time. “They travel from university to university and they’ll stay at one university for a while until police start developing a case,” he said. “Then they decide to move on.” Glenewinkel said police suspect the recent wave of thefts at Texas State is connected to stolen bikes at other universities. He said stolen bikes are typically sold at pawnshops or in Mexico, or disassembled and sold for parts on the Internet. “Very few bikes are actually kept and used,“ he said. Glenewinkel suggests investing in a good lock to avoid becoming a victim of theft. “I would say stay completely away from cable locks because they can be cut,” he said. Glenewinkel said he recommends Ulocks. “It takes every ounce of strength and four or five tries (to cut the locks),” he said. “It’s going to protect your bike because a thief is going to see this and walk away.“ Glenewinkel recommends threading a cable lock through both wheels of the bike and then back through the U-
See SPRING BREAK, page 5
Stimulus bill gives Hays, close counties money By Rachel Nelson News Reporter San Marcos will receive money from the stimulus bill passed in congress last month for transportation projects the city is collaborating on with neighboring counties. Mayor Susan Narvaiz said money for transportation is available in two pots. She said the first sum of $1.2 billion is going directly to the state. The second, containing $30 million, will be divided among Travis, Williamson and Hays counties. “We all have a lot of projects we would like to see on the list,” Narvaiz said. Narvaiz, Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board member, said a meeting was called March 2 to discuss how to apply the funds. Liz Sumter, Hays County Judge, said the money will primarily go toward road construction. Sumter said CAMPO must decide to either put the funds toward one
VoluMe 98, Issue 62
See BIKE THEFT, page 5
Lindsey Goldstein/Star photo LOCKED UP: Jake Johnson, undecided sophomore, locks up his bike on campus to make sure it is not stolen again.
See STIMULUS, page 5
Students advised to lock apartment doors, prevent theft By Theron Brittain Senior News Reporter More charges have been filed on two suspects arrested for a string of apartment burglaries committed in December and January. Timothy Bronaugh, 24, and Adrian Moseley, 25, were arrested Jan. 30 and charged with two counts of bur burglary. They now face an additional seven counts for their alleged involvement in at least a dozen break-ins at University Heights, The Zone and Heights II. Commander Terry Nichols of the San Marcos Police Department said recovered evidence and confessions by the two men led to the additional counts. He said Bronaugh and Moseley, with five and four counts respectively, could face further charges after ongoing investigations are concluded. Bronaugh and Moseley were Lindsey Goldstien/Star photo illustration stopped by San Marcos police Jan. 30 BURGLARY: students leaving their apartment and dorm doors unlocked has leaving Heights II apartment complex on E. River Ridge Parkway. A search lead to an increase in theft.
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of their car revealed electronic mer merchandise reported stolen hours ear earlier. The two men were arrested and later charged with two counts of bur burglary of a habitation. San Marcos police believe Bronaugh and Moseley had been operating in San Marcos for more than a year. “These guys were bold and very confident,” Nichols said. “We are thrilled to have them in custody.” Nichols said the suspects’ primary hunting grounds were University Heights, The Zone and Heights II. He said the situation came to a head in early January when those complexes were being burglarized as many as four times in one night. Police recognized the pattern of the burglaries and began surveillance Jan. 29 at University Heights and Heights II. Bronaugh and Moseley were ar arrested the next morning. Nichols said the two men had an effective mode of operation, cruising student apartment complexes on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
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nights looking for parties and potential targets. The men spent the early morning hours going to various apartments, looking for unlocked doors. “They would go back to apartments they had already hit before,” Nichols said. “We had one apartment that was hit possibly three times.” The men were confronted by residents more than once, but were able to talk their way out of the apartment, Nichols said. “These guys knew students are laid-back,” Nichols said. “If they were confronted they could come up with a bogus line about why they were in the house. They knew that culture — where residents are used to people coming and going at all hours of the day or night. These guys knew that and it gave them the confidence to go into people’s homes in the middle of the night.” Nichols said the investigation has been difficult because in See BURGLARY, page 5
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