Police investigate burglary in south Columbia
Aspen Heights management spoke out after a burglar broke into an apartment Thursday morning while the two people inside were sleeping. This is one incident in a list of issues the complex has had since it opened.
Just after dawn, Columbia police investigated a burglary at the Aspen Heights Apartment Complex. The people living in the apartment were home at the time. Electronics were stolen, but no one was hurt.
In a statement, the company’s regional manager said: “While residents’ safety and security cannot be guaranteed, it is a top priority at Aspen Heights.”
Management says security measures include off-duty police officers to patrol and surveillance cameras throughout the property.
There’s also a security gate that all vehicles have to go through in order to get into the complex — but one look at crime statistics for this area leaves some to ask if enough is being done.
ABC 17’s Dan Messineo looked through a crime database and throughout the past year, there have been several burglaries in the neighborhood just east of the apartments.
But statistics show just a few incidents with the complex. This is a change from years past. Since opening in the Fall of 2013, Aspen Heights’ residents have seen everything from shootings to assaults.
After a string of issues at the apartment complex, the management company instituted new safety measures around 2014, but management says students also have to take precautions, like making sure doors and windows are always locked.
As for Thursday’s burglary, police say they’ve made no arrests and do not have any suspects at this time.
ORIGINAL STORY, 6:53 a.m.: Police were investigating a reported burglary in south Columbia Thursday.
Officers responded to the Aspen Heights apartment complex near Ponderosa Street and Aspen Heights Parkway around 6:15 Thursday morning.
Police on scene told our ABC 17 news crew that they arrived just minutes after the burglary was reported.
They said some personal items were stolen from the apartment. Residents were home at the time of the burglary, but no one was hurt in the incident.
No word on a suspect description. ABC 17 will keep working to find out if police make an arrest in this burglary.
