Car stolen in broad daylight from the dorms

A vehicle belonging to Village resident Josh Petitt was stolen at around 10 a.m. in the new dorm parking lot March 6. It was the second vehicle theft at California State University, Stanislaus since January.

In 2007 there were four vehicle thefts at CSU Stanislaus.

California Highway Patrol recovered Petitt's car in an orchard in Modesto the same day it was believed to have been stolen. The vehicle had been striped of the hood, bumpers, stereo, rims and tires. The seats inside were slashed and windows broken.

For Petitt this was not only a shocking situation but also very frustrating and costly.

"I am totally independent so I'm not getting any help through this," said Petitt who has had to pay more than $300 in towing and storage fees.

Petitt is a student-athlete who carries a 16 unit school load along with working 25 hours a week at an off-campus job.

On the afternoon of March 6, Petitt was scheduled to work at 5 p.m. He noticed his car was stolen shortly before 5 p.m. when he walked into the parking lot ready to leave for work.

He called the police and they responded quickly to the scene. Using police computer databases, within an hour campus police contacted Petitt informing him the car had been found.

"I just can't believe this could happen only 100 yards away from the campus police station," said Petitt, who said he is unsatisfied with the campus police and campus officials.

"No school officials have said anything to me about the whole situation, not even housing. I have received no kind of apology or contact at all from anyone here on campus," Petitt said.

Sgt. Matt Dillon said this is an unfortunate event but campus police are working collaboratively with Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force, StanCATT, to find the perpetrators. One female witness did report the campus police that she saw a group of suspicious men in the parking lot that day.

"StanCATT is very good at what they do and even a small detail like this can help. They know of many car thefts and their MO's so this can help narrow it down," Dillon said.

As for Petitt, having to pay for the tow truck and storage fees, Dillon commented that "it really is a final insult to a victim of a crime but since it was done by a private business there really is nothing we can do."

Petitt said his insurance was not full coverage so did not cover car theft.

Petitt has since bought a new car that is costing him over $200 a month. He also received a ticket earlier this week for not having a parking pass. Petitt had purchased a parking pass for the spring semester but it was in the stolen vehicle and lost.

"I argued the ticket because it's not my fault my car was stolen. They wanted me to buy a new parking pass and I refused," Petitt said. Campus police later issued a temporary parking pass to Petitt for the remainder of the spring semester and dismissed the ticket.

Dillon advises other students to invest in a secondary safety device for your car such as an alarm or steeling lock.

"I know it sounds elementary but locking your car is also very important. So many people forget or just do it because they feel safe here on campus," Dillon said.

Dillon also commented on the fact that the vehicle was stolen at 10 a.m. in broad daylight saying it is fairly unusual. Campus police does patrol campus day and night and pays particular attention to the dorms at night since those cars are here constantly.

Still the best advice, Dillon said, is to lock your doors and invest in some sort of vehicle safety device.