No indication the house was targeted

There is no evidence at this time to suggest that the armed burglary on Franklin Avenue Monday morning was targeted at college students, Lt. Ray Stein, head of the Kent police detective bureau, said yesterday.

The police are continuing their investigation of the robbery, in which four men held Erik Urycki, senior public relations major, and Emma Sherrie, senior anthropology major, at gunpoint in their home, Stein said.

“Right now we don’t have any indication as to why it (the house) was targeted or that it was in fact targeted,” Stein said.

The men allegedly stole several thousand dollars worth of electronics and other valuables in a time period of about 15 minutes.

Stein said anyone aware of the stolen items being sold should contact the police.

“A lot of times they take things and pawn them at pawn shops or sell them on the street to other students,” he said.

The university was not alerted about the incident because the home was in an area that wasn’t adjacent to the university, Stein said.

In other cases, such as the February home invasion where four students were allegedly held at gunpoint and robbed on University Drive, the university sent a mass e-mail alerting students and faculty to the situation. Kent police arrested three men in connection to that robbery.

The decision to contact Kent State is “primarily about proximity” to campus, Stein said. The Franklin Avenue home is approximately half a mile from the edge of campus, while the University Drive home was less than a block away.

Ward 3 Councilman Wayne Wilson said students only started moving into the area on Franklin Avenue within the past six or eight years. There isn’t typically a large student population there, he said.

Stein said people tend to become complacent about their safety and are more easily caught off guard.

“When something like this happens, we become more aware of our surroundings,” he said. He advised students to report anything they find suspicious to their local police department.

“Just be vigilant. If you suspect something wrong, go with your gut instinct and get to a safe place,” he said.

Anyone with information that may help the police investigation of Monday’s robbery can contact the detective bureau at 330-673-7733.

Contact metro editor Theresa Bruskin at [email protected].