Beta Theta Pi assesses damage

During winter break, the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house at 919 E. 10th St. was robbed, resulting in $10,000 in damage, House Director Leslie Lawrence said. This estimate did not include stolen personal items, only house damages such as kicked-in doors and closets.\nAt 8 a.m. Dec. 18, the IU Police Department received a report of a robbery at the house, Lt. Jerry Minger said. Ted Porter, the fraternity house's janitor, had checked the house at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 17, Minger said, and had secured it when he left.\nJunior Chris Westforth, fraternity president, said many electronic items were taken, such as new stereos, DVD players and CDs.\n"They kicked in every single door in the house besides presidential quarters," Westforth said. "They ransacked every single person's closet. They basically just trashed our house."\nMinger said there were no specific large items taken, and said it appears the robbers were looking for a particular hidden item, such as cash.\nSomeone entered the house through a north-side window five feet off the ground, Minger said. All fraternity members had been instructed before winter break to lock all of their doors, which were kicked in. Minger said this resulted in the most damage.\nWestforth said because the burglary occurred during break, it is more difficult to determine the culprit. \n"Basically we have no idea who did this," Westforth said. "We're just going to work with the police department."\nIUPD took fingerprints at the house, and members were instructed to keep the department informed if anything else turns up missing. There have been no reports to IUPD since.\nMinger said he guessed the person responsible could have been a juvenile looking for cash.\n"It was not a professional thief or experienced burglar because there were many items they could have turned for cash," Minger said. He also said there is "nothing more we can do unless someone comes out as a witness or there are reports to be made about stolen goods"