No leads at this time.
That’s what Sgt. Chris Counts of Bakersfield College’s Department of Public Safety said about the Oct. 9 theft of about 1,600 Renegade Rip newspapers from numerous stands around BC’s main campus.
In an official report filed by security, on Oct. 9, the Renegade Rip informed Counts of the theft, which occurred within an hour of distribution. After observing the complete removal from campus stands so quickly after distribution, a member of the staff restocked the stand in the Humanities area and watched at a distance as an individual began removing several papers. The staff member, a photographer, then began snapping photos of the paper taker who was speaking on a cell phone. The photographer reported hearing the individual on the phone saying, “I got these over here, man.” The paper taker noticed the photographer snapping photos, dropped the papers and confronted the photographer. He demanded that the photographer state the reason for the shoot. The photographer asked the other why he was taking papers, and the person angrily denied doing that.
The individual who confronted the photographer was interviewed by Counts Oct. 16. Counts asked him if he got some papers off the Humanities-area stands. The interviewee didn’t deny getting about 10 to 20 papers but said that he intended to put them all back after finishing with them. The officer then asked why so many papers were needed all at once especially since the papers were all the same. The suspect replied that he didn’t know and restated that it was his intention to put them all back. The suspect was then asked if he was using a cell phone at the time he got the papers. He replied that he couldn’t remember if he was using one or not. Counts then repeated what the photographer reported was spoken into the phone. The interviewee denied saying anything over a phone. Counts asked why the photographer was accosted. The suspect replied that he did not want his picture to appear in the Rip.
In another Oct. 16 interview by Counts, another potential suspect was asked about the missing papers. The interviewee said that he had heard of the incident but swore he knew little else than that. In another interview on the same day, Counts asked an individual if he knew anything about the papers. The interviewee claimed that he wasn’t on campus at the time the papers vanished. Counts asked the individual where he was at the time, and the individual replied that he showed up on the campus only for classes and then promptly left the campus at the conclusion of each class.
The reason why the report was drawn up and filed is because there may be either disciplinary or criminal action taken, the official report states.
Many BC students decried the theft.
“It’s childish, really,” said Anthony Perez, 20, BC auto mechanics student.
Cyndy Jimenez, 19, liberal studies major, disapproves of the theft and acknowledges that many BC students read the Rip on their free time and appreciate being informed of campus events.
“It’s useless and inconsequential stealing those newspapers,” said Mathias Macias, 21, art major. “These people were stealing from the school. It’s pretty petty of whoever did this.”