Car theft occurred on campus Monday

The Truman State University community was alerted Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. about a motor vehicle theft which occurred earlier that day. 

According to Sara Seifert, chief of police with the Department of Public Safety, the vehicle belonged to a Truman employee who just arrived at campus. The incident occured at the Physical Plant building located on LaHarpe Street. The theft occurred between 5:40 and 5:56 a.m. Seifert said the keys were left inside the vehicle at that time. 

Seifert later sent out an email at around 3:30 p.m. of the same day, stating the vehicle had been recovered and returned to the owner. Two individuals were taken into custody in connection to the incident.

Seifert’s initial email to students, faculty and staff included a number of suggestions to aid in the prevention of motor vehicle theft on campus. 

“Many auto thefts are crimes of ‘opportunity.’ Leaving the keys in your car (even a ‘hidden’ spare key) greatly increases your chances of having your car stolen,” Seifert’s email stated.

Additional suggestions include parking in a well-lit area, closing all windows, locking the vehicle and not leaving any valuables inside the vehicle.

Any suspicious activity spotted on campus can be reported to DPS by calling 660-665-5621.