Break-ins Beside Campus

Residents of Charlotte St. woke up to find four cars with broken windows and missing belongings.

Sabrina Jones, a victim of the vandalism and theft, said she parked her car the previous night around 9:30 p.m. and felt shocked to see the damages to her vehicle the following day on Oct. 10. 

“I didn’t hear anything,” Jones said. “When I came out to go to work [that] morning, I opened my front door. I was like, ‘Oh, there’s glass in my car.’”

Jones has lived on Charlotte St. for over two years. This is the second break-in she has fallen victim to.

“You just don’t expect to get your car broken into right by a college campus,” Jones said. “I feel like this is a safe area. I go for walks all the time. I sit on my front porch at all hours at night. I don’t ever feel scared.”

Only bordering the South side of UMKC Volker Campus, the university police said they may drive through Charlotte occasionally but do not have a set schedule or route for the street. 

Charlotte St. resident and UMKC student Tess Martens said a differing viewpoint from Jones. 

“I’m not surprised that we were the ones hit,” Martens said. “It’s easy to know which cars are going to be parked on the street, because we are right next to a college campus.”

Even though her vehicle was not robbed, Martens said she has grown cautious about what she leaves in her car. 

Jones said she has filed a police report but does not expect anything to come from it. 

If you notice anything suspicious or feel unsafe, UMKC Police is available 24 hours a day and can be contacted at 816-235-1515. If you are unsure how to respond to a situation, check out this Emergency Response Guide.

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