Brian Goad
Reporter

After their baseball game against Walters State Community College on Sept. 29, three Milligan players were shocked to find their vehicles broken into and items stolen from them. 

Juniors Christopher Gordon and Justin Sauceman and freshman Adam Chapman discovered the vandalism around 9 p.m. when they returned to their cars parked behind Hopwood Christian Church after finishing their last game.

Chapman found someone had entered the hatchback door of his Ford Escort wagon. The other doors were locked. He reported a built-in CD player and digital camera stolen and damage to the dashboard. The police also found a screwdriver in his vehicle.

“It was really sickening to think that someone broke into the cars during the middle of the day,” said Chapman. 

Gordon found his Ford Ranger had been entered by prying the back window open. According to the police report, the screwdriver found in Chapman’s vehicle was taken as evidence because it was probably used to aid the entry. Gordon also reported damage to the dashboard and a stolen Sony CD player as well as $10 in cash.

Sauceman found that someone had easily entered through his soft topped Jeep. His wallet with his debit card and a gas card was stolen. He canceled his debit card and was informed that someone had used it at the Citgo gas station in Piney Flats to buy $7 in gas at 5:45 p.m.

Sauceman refused to comment regarding the incident. 

Earlier that evening umpire Robert Wright, a Johnson City resident, was notified by his wife that their checkbook had been found on the side of the road. Chico Mielke, 292 Old Milligan Highway, called the Wright’s home after finding the checkbook.

After a personal inspection of his vandalized Suburban, Wright determined his checkbook, a Wal-Mart gift card and about $40 in change were stolen. Wright called the police and filed a report with the dispatched officer, who also accompanied Mrs. Wright to retrieve the checkbook. 

When asked about suspects, Dean of Students Mark Fox said, “My guess is somebody from off campus.”

Fox said there is “other information, however, the police asked us not to share it.”  

Detective Ed McGee from the Elizabethton Police confirmed that the debit card was used at the Citgo station as well as two places in Johnson City and once on Bristol Highway.

“We have a suspect in mind,” McGee said, but he could not release the name. “If we can get video from the businesses, then we can identify him.”

The Citgo station did not have a video camera, and McGee has not heard back from the other three businesses.

This is the third reported incident of vehicle vandalism and the second case of burglary this semester at Milligan.

According to the Campus Crime Statistics for Milligan College, only one incident of burglary has occurred in each of the past three years. The highest rate during the past 13 years occurred in 2001, when there were five reported incidents of burglary.