Broken Into

[Chunklets]

So, I arrive at my office this afternoon, to indulge in a spot of midterm exam marking, and immediately upon opening the door become aware that all is not as it should be. There are things which should be in my desk drawers that are now on top of the desk. So, I take a quick look around, and sure enough, I'm missing about $600 in cash (not mine, but money that I was responsible for, which in some ways makes it worse), and my chequebook. Here's a tip, kids: don't store money in places into which unscrupulous people can gain entry by crawling down through the ceiling tiles.

Anyway, I called Campus Security, and I called my bank, and I called a friend who also has an office in the building. Turns out whoever did this broke into most of the offices on this floor, and some other people were stolen from as well. I've filled out a statement, and apparently the police are going to come by to do a bit of CSI-ing. Anyway, it's depressing as hell, and I still have to make what's likely to be a very unpleasant phone call about the money. I am not a happy kobold at the moment.

At least they didn't do anything to the midterms that I have to mark (oh, that would not have been good), they left my books alone, and, although they rifled through them, they didn't take my D&D stuff... :smallwink:

[Cobra_Ikari]

*big hugs*...I'm sorry...that sucks. :smallfrown:

[St.Sinner]

Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear it. I had my home broken into once and it was pretty scary so I know how terrible it feels. Aside from the stress of losing possessions there's also some sense of your personal space being violated. I hope you feel better soon. Hopefully they get the culprit too.

[Jack Squat]

that seriously sucks man.

through the ceiling panels...that's a new one. I never figured a suspended ceiling would hold a person.

[SurlySeraph]

*pelts with sympathy*

Well, they didn't touch the midterms, so it can't have been one of your students. Which is too bad, because if it were one of your students you could just flunk the little punk. I hope they catch him soon.

[Bor the Barbarian Monk]

You have my sympathies, Chunklets. Sincerely.

[ZombieRockStar]

Ouch...tough man. At least it wasn't your home? (Small comfort...I'm no good here...)

[Chunklets]

Thanks for the kind thoughts, folks! It has been a long and trying day. The police are here now, and going through the various offices, and I'm sending e-mails along the lines of "You might want to come down to the university and check your office..." I've discovered as well that whoever it was has stolen a few other things from me; in particular, they got the shampoo and body spray from my gym bag. Somewhere out there is a burglar with nice clean hair and a pleasant smell, I guess!

[Lord Herman]

they got the shampoo and body spray from my gym bag.

The fiend!

[Tempest Fennac]

That's really strange. Do you have any ideas regarding the thieve's entry point? how many floors tall is the building, and is there any reason ou can think of why other floors weren't broken into?

[banjo1985]

Aw that's bad Chunklets, but at least they didn't take anything of sentimental value, or anything that couldn't be replaced. I hope the police manage top catch this particularly sweet smelling thief!

[JessSoccer]

It wasn't in the lab was it? *GASP*

But I guess you did say office.....my office is in the lab though! *shakes fist*


Down with Thievery! Up with Archeology! /Battle cry

[Miraqariftsky]

Sorry to hear that, yo. 'V'you considered using multiple padlocks? Aye, hope and pray the thief is brought to justice, I do...

[Ink]

Aw, sorry to hear that, man. Feel better soon! May the thief be appropriately smitten.

[Dragonrider]

Sorry to hear that, yo. 'V'you considered using multiple padlocks? Aye, hope and pray the thief is brought to justice, I do...

I think he said he thought that they came in through the ceiling. In that case, it was probably a small, light, possibly female person. :smalltongue:

[Rare Pink Leech]

I've discovered as well that whoever it was has stolen a few other things from me; in particular, they got the shampoo and body spray from my gym bag.

Wow, that just ... creepy.

My condolances to you, man. This cannot be a fun time. Hopefully there's some solace in the fact that the thief decided to break into everyone's office and take whatever looked valuable, as opposed to something like "Man do I hate that Chunklets a-wipe, let's break into his office and take something of his that I really like."

Like somebody else said, at least the only stuff taken was stuff of little value or stuff that can be easily replaced. My friend's prof had his office broken into last year, and the only thing that was taken was a pair of Leafs tickets - the thief didn't even bother taking the several hundred dollars from the same drawer!

[Jack Squat]

I think he said he thought that they came in through the ceiling. In that case, it was probably a small, light, possibly female person. :smalltongue:

That'd explain them taking the shampoo and body spray...crawling through ceilings is dirty work :smalltongue:

[Fri]

they got the shampoo and body spray from my gym bag.

Try to sniff the thief/thieves?

You got my condolence. Hope the CSI find something after they CSI'ed your CSI scene.... nevermind....

[SpiderMew]

That really sucks man.
I know what its like to have stuff of yours stolen.

I hope they catch the bastards and get you the money back.

[Skippy]

That really sucks man.

Stop mocking his lack of shampoo and body spray! :smallbiggrin:

Really, hope you get everything (or most of your things) back soon!

[Shas aia Toriia]

I've discovered as well that whoever it was has stolen a few other things from me; in particular, they got the shampoo and body spray from my gym bag.

What?!? Who steals $600, and then takes shampoo and body spray? Surely they could just buy it with the money?
They must be a pretty poor thief.

But seriously, that really, really sucks. . .

[Groundhog]

This guy doesn't sound very professional. Which probably means that they'll catch him soon.

[Chunklets]

...it was probably a small, light, possibly female person. :smalltongue:

Good call!! That was, in fact, almost word-for-word what the police said last night, when they'd finished collecting evidence! I was at the office until quite late last night, watching the CSIs do their thing. Tomorrow it's off to the bank (it's a holiday here today) to get a new bank account. Tedious, but necessary under the circumstances.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone again for their kind words and compassion - it does make a difference!

@JessSoccer: I am pleased to tell you that there was no archaeological damage done during the break-in! They didn't even take the little replica statue of Athena that I have on my desk!

[Cobra_Ikari]

Good call!! That was, in fact, almost word-for-word what the police said last night, when they'd finished collecting evidence! I was at the office until quite late last night, watching the CSIs do their thing. Tomorrow it's off to the bank (it's a holiday here today) to get a new bank account. Tedious, but necessary under the circumstances.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone again for their kind words and compassion - it does make a difference!

@JessSoccer: I am pleased to tell you that there was no archaeological damage done during the break-in! They didn't even take the little replica statue of Athena that I have on my desk!

*hugs*...I hope they catch your guy...

*scratches Indiana Jones off list of possible suspects*

[TRM]

Thanks for the kind thoughts, folks! It has been a long and trying day. The police are here now, and going through the various offices, and I'm sending e-mails along the lines of "You might want to come down to the university and check your office..." I've discovered as well that whoever it was has stolen a few other things from me; in particular, they got the shampoo and body spray from my gym bag. Somewhere out there is a burglar with nice clean hair and a pleasant smell, I guess!
Darn. That really stinks, man.

Hopes that the thief is caught and brought to justice, the villain! :smallfurious:

[FoE]

That sucks, Chunklets. I had my first break-in last year. The scoundrels broke my back door and made off with my XBox, my copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Halo 2. On the plus side, that XBox sucked and I was having problems with it freezing mid-game. And my co-workers chipped in to give me $100 for a new one! :smallbiggrin:

[vivi]

Sorry to here that, that really sucks!

[Copacetic]

That is...... absolutely horrible. I Hope it gets better Chunklets.

[Dumbledore lives]

Well that sucks, one someone broke into my house and took my PS2 and Gamecube, with every game. Insurance payed more a lot more than it was worth so it was all good.

[JessSoccer]

@JessSoccer: I am pleased to tell you that there was no archaeological damage done during the break-in! They didn't even take the little replica statue of Athena that I have on my desk!

Phew! At least there's that :smallsmile:

[Darken Rahl]

Just a point of technical information. If the ceiling tiles are acoustic tiles hung from metal frames, it's unlikely that the person used them as a crawling mechanism, as most ACT will break with anything more than a child's weight (and even then, you're likely to break them.)

It's probable that the walls between your office and the thief's access point are not full height and are simply partitions that reach to just above the drop ceiling. In this case, it would be simple to walk along the top of the partition wall between rooms, pull up one of the tiles, and drop into any connecting room. We did this in my high school quite a bit to travel around the building while skipping classes.

In any case, I hope you receive compensation and that the perpetrator is hit with justice...IN THE FACE!

[CrazedGoblin]

hope the guy/gal is caught, first thing i thought was "Psionics isen't overpowered, Honest"

hehe:smallbiggrin:

[Telonius]

@JessSoccer: I am pleased to tell you that there was no archaeological damage done during the break-in! They didn't even take the little replica statue of Athena that I have on my desk!

That's almost too bad. They have Furies for that kind of thing.

[Chunklets]

Just a point of technical information. If the ceiling tiles are acoustic tiles hung from metal frames, it's unlikely that the person used them as a crawling mechanism, as most ACT will break with anything more than a child's weight (and even then, you're likely to break them.)

It's probable that the walls between your office and the thief's access point are not full height and are simply partitions that reach to just above the drop ceiling. In this case, it would be simple to walk along the top of the partition wall between rooms, pull up one of the tiles, and drop into any connecting room. We did this in my high school quite a bit to travel around the building while skipping classes.

Yeah, that's pretty much the situation. The offices that were broken into were add-ons, built sometime after the building was constructed, and the walls just go up to the ceiling and no further. The more I think about it, the more surprised I am that we don't get burgled more often!

Anyway, I got my new bank account, as well as a forgiving and understanding e-mail from the person whose money I was custoding. The only real worry right now is whether or not I got my new direct deposit information into payroll in time to get paid at the end of the month. We will know next week, I suppose...

Thanks once more to everyone for their kind wishes! And Telonius, you have a point - I hadn't considered the Furies, but they'd be ideal for this situation!

[evisiron]

Dude, theft sucks. Sorry to hear it happened, and I hope it gets resolved.
I would suggest some DC20 traps are installed in and around your building.

[Chunklets]

Dude, theft sucks. Sorry to hear it happened, and I hope it gets resolved.
I would suggest some DC20 traps are installed in and around your building.

I was seriously thinking about the old loaded-mousetrap-buried-under-stuff-in-the-desk-drawer ploy, but the problem with that is that I'd probably forget it was there... :smalltongue:

[Bitzeralisis]

Barbarian: Me angry! Me smash scoundrels! ...what a scoundrel?
Bard: I wonder what will happen if I sing. *signs and gets shooed out*
Cleric: Turn Undead! ...oh, really? There's no undead?
Druid: I am one with nature. Widdle fluffy animals of the wild, attack the perpetrators! Barbarian: What a perpetrator?
Fighter: That really sucks, you know!
Monk: If you were one such as I, this would not have happened. We monks of the Xiaolin Temple take no care in unbodily possessions.
Paladin: I shall be sure to bring these criminals to their utter doom! How dare they disrupt the holy tranquility of our state of peace! Why, I shall smite them with my sword and blah blah blah... Barbarian: What a tranquility?
Ranger: Nice to know. Do we get quest experience if we kill them?
Rogue: What do you mean, it's a bad thing? I steal all the time! Paladin: then it must have been you! Smite Stupid Evil Rogues!
Sorcerer: Let's blast 'em with fire! ...and lightning! ...and all those other elements!
Wizard: All your methods are stupid and unwise. Surely you can just cast a divination and locate the position of the villains, then use an indirect but powerful spell to incapacitate them? That is obviously the most easy way... Sorcerer: What's a dee-vee-nay-shun?
Me: No, all of you are stupid! Just go back in time and catch the crooks before they steal the stuff! Others: But we don't have time travel yet, genius!

[Raider]

My condolences, I hope the perpetraters are brought to justice:smallsmile:

[SDF]

So yeah, my bike got stolen today. Now not only am I a poor college student, but I'm a poor college student without a mode of transportation.

[SweetLikeLemons]

That sucks, SDF. If it makes you feel any better, you are not alone. When my bike got stolen (the first time :smallsigh:) the cops told me that one in four college students will have their bike stolen by the time they graduate, although just going on my own experience, that number seems low. Someone stole my little sister's bike just last week. Did you have yours registered? If so, you should report it to the cops, because there is a minuscule chance they might recover it and if they don't have it on record as being yours, they will just sell it. Anyway, I hope it turns up.

[Chunklets]

Condolences to both of you (and to SLL's little sister!). Bike theft is a major problem on this campus as well. A friend of mine who had her bike stolen summed up her new philosophy re: bicycles: "I'm buying a really cheap bike, and a really expensive lock!" Anyway, I hope you get your property back!

[North]

Why would they take shampoo? Id be more concerned that its a stalker at this point.

"Mmm I smell like kobold. Ohhhhh yeeeeahhhh..." :smalleek:

[I'm da Rogue!]

Today me and a friend went to rent a movie from the videoclub, which is two blocks from my house.
On our way home, we hear a woman screaming. We see two guys with masks, holding knives, run towards us, get in their car and go away.
They payed no attention to us, fortunately.
The car had no signs, so we didn't see a number or something. They robbed a small shop, the woman was ok.
They got in as she was about to close it, and there were no customers.
But knives? I think it's weird.

[Cobra_Ikari]

Today me and a friend went to rent a movie from the videoclub, which is two blocks from my house.
On our way home, we hear a woman screaming. We see two guys with masks, holding knives, run towards us, get in their car and go away.
They payed no attention to us, fortunately.
The car had no signs, so we didn't see a number or something. They robbed a small shop, the woman was ok.
They got in as she was about to close it, and there were no customers.
But knives? I think it's weird.

...scary! *hugs*...I'm glad you didn't get hurt!

...*grabs an axe and follows Rogue around, glaring at shady people*...

[FoE]

... That's pretty freaky, Rogue. :smalleek:

Not too long ago, a guy robbed a hotel here with a long barbecue fork. The cops made sure to note to us that he was barely five feet tall, which made the story even funnier. :smallbiggrin:

[I'm da Rogue!]

...scary! *hugs*...I'm glad you didn't get hurt!

...*grabs an axe and follows Rogue around, glaring at shady people*...

Aww thanks
*hugs back*
..but aren't rogues shady people as well?:smallconfused:

... That's pretty freaky, Rogue. :smalleek:

Not too long ago, a guy robbed a hotel here with a long barbecue fork. The cops made sure to note to us that he was barely five feet tall, which made the story even funnier. :smallbiggrin:
How do you know it wasn't a fork holding a small guy?

[Cobra_Ikari]

Aww thanks
*hugs back*
..but aren't rogues shady people as well?:smallconfused:

...good point. This plan needs some revising. And besides, I'm messing with your shady. *hugs*