No shirt, no shoes, no…pants?
Students in Judaculla Residence Hall have complained that expensive clothing, mainly men’s pants and jackets, is being stolen from the residence hall’s laundry room when left unattended.
The issue is nothing new for residents of Judaculla, as thefts have been going on since September. WCU Snapchat stories were buzzing with complaints and warnings about the apparent “Judaculla Pants Thief,” even going as far as to photoshop spirited “wanted” posters for the thief or thieves.
This problem did not die in September. In the laundry room, it’s not uncommon to hear chatter about the thefts while washing your clothes.
The problem has sparked some unrest amongst Judaculla residents. Ryan Nadeau, a sophomore Judaculla resident, even claimed to have filed police reports on the issue, but to no avail.
“Me and a few others filed police reports, but there’s not much they can do because of the absence of cameras in the laundry room,” Nadeau said. “I’m assuming they’re either selling them or keeping them in a little collection somewhere. To be honest, I think they get a kick out of it and since they’ve gotten away with it so many times, they’re just going to keep doing it.”
Nadeau joked, “consider me Liam Neesen in Taken and call my stolen clothing Liam Neesen’s daughter in Taken.”
Elijah Carpenter, a freshman resident at Judaculla, after having two pairs of Wrangler pants gone missing as well as a pair of athletic shorts, began taking precautions to avoid any further thefts by staking out the laundry room.
“I did two lifts today just to try and escape from the thief,” Carpenter said, “I schedule my times around when I have free time to just sit.”
Some students have even began to keep a watchful eye out for suspicious looking figures while in the laundry room. During stake outs to protect clothing, students have expressed that they have been taking note of who enters and leaves the room, as well as anyone who acts suspicious.
Tanner Ball, a sophomore resident at Judaculla, revealed that $175 worth of his clothing has gone missing.
“A lot of it was my workout gear, which is Young LA. That’s the brand I like. I had four or five shirts taken, probably four or five tank tops, my really nice sweatpants, my cargo pants, my shorts and all kinds of stuff. Like, barely anything left,” Ball said.
Many students wonder why cameras have not been placed in the residence hall’s laundry room after so many complaints have been made.
When asked about the incidents, Resident Assistants and Residential Living Directors were unable to provide a response.
Bryant Barnett, Executive Director of Residential Living, says that he was unaware of the issue and is willing to investigate.
