The theft of three laptops and attempted theft of a fourth brought security officers and a deputy from the Knox County Sheriff’s office to Olin Library Tuesday afternoon. The laptops were eventually recovered, and three Mount Vernon residents, who were loitering in the library, are suspected of the crime.

All four students whose laptops were taken had left their computers unattended in carrels in the library, only to return and find them missing. Nothing else appeared to have been taken from the carrels; even the computer power cords were left untouched.

Molly Cockett ’07 said she left her laptop in a carrel on the third floor of Olin around 8:45 a.m. to go to class and lunch. When she returned three hours later, her computer was gone.

“When I realized it was missing, I looked around the area to make sure that someone didn’t hide it,” Cockett said. “I knew my friend, Julia Dale [’07], had also left some things two cubicles down from [mine]. … Her computer was also stolen.”

Amy Loria ’07 said her laptop must have been stolen from a second-floor carrel between 11 a.m. and noon, while she was in class.

Cockett, Dale and Loria each notified the circulation desk about the thefts and then proceeded to the Security and Safety office to file reports. While they were there, the library’s assistant circulation supervisor, Joan Nielson, called security and reported seeing “suspicious people” in the library. “Three people in the library looked somewhat ‘out of place,’” Nielson said.

When Assistant Director of Security Bob Hooper arrived at the library, three people—two males and a female—came to the circulation area from the north end of the library. Hooper approached them and inquired about their business in the library. One responded that they were waiting for a friend to play basketball.

“When I approached them, you could tell they were nervous and trying to avoid me,” Hooper said. “Then [one] young man turned around, and you could see what was underneath his shirt. It was just the outline of a laptop.” The laptop was identified as belonging to a Kenyon student, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Hooper called the sheriff’s office and continued to talk with the three suspects until Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Damon Roberts arrived. The three suspects are from Mount Vernon, but, contrary to rumors that have been going around campus, they do not attend Mount Vernon High School, although two are under the age of eighteen.

Director of Information Resources Christopher Barth, who was present at the time, decided to check the parking lot behind the library and found a car that contained three laptop computers, which fit the description of those that had been stolen. Also in the vehicle, according to the Security report, “in plain view were several backpacks.”

The four Kenyon students to whom the laptops belonged regained possession of their computers long enough to copy important files onto CDs. However, the sheriff’s office is keeping the laptops as evidence for the trial, which could be up to six months from now.

Laptops are not the only things that have been stolen on campus recently. Hooper said Security has received six reports of thefts in the past week, and two or three more on Tuesday alone. Most of the items stolen were backpacks and were taken from Gund Commons, Ernst Center and Peirce Hall.

According to Hooper, spring is generally a time with a slightly increased rate of theft on campus. “Everybody is so busy, and they get really lax,” Hooper said. “They just don’t take care of their stuff like they need to. … These three individuals said that this was an opportunity because everything is so lax.”

The four students whose computers were stolen said they have not experienced problems with leaving their belongings in the library in the past.

“I’ve left my computer, books, iPod, keys, wallet and many other things in that same [cubicle] for up to four hours,” Cockett said. “[The theft] definitely changes my perception of security at Kenyon. It’s been a reality check. I’m still not afraid for my personal safety, but I won’t leave important things sitting around the library anymore. I might even start locking my door.”

Loria agreed that she will not leave her computer in the library in the future, and that she, too, plans to start locking her door. “It’s so lame that one of Kenyon’s best qualities—being able to leave everything open and trust that no one will take your stuff—is being exploited and abused,” Loria said. “It’s such an open, trusting community; I can’t believe that Mount Vernon [residents] are coming in and taking advantage of our trust.”

The student who wishes to remain anonymous said he realizes that he probably should not have left his computer unattended in the library. “I guess I assumed too much about how safe things are here,” he said. “Most people don’t worry too much because they think the only potential thieves are other Kenyon students. But when kids from Mount Vernon are coming on campus because they know Kenyon kids are generally more well-off and they leave their stuff sitting out unguarded, that’s when we need to start paying real attention."