Hanover and campus police are currently investigating two separate break-in incidents that occurred over interim -- a forced entry into the Sphinx senior society's tomb and an foiled break-in at Woodward residence hall.
The illegal entry at the Sphinx's tomb, which is still under investigation by the Hanover Police Department, was reported to police on March 17, according to officer Daryl Zampieri.
But Sphinx alumni advisor Jeff Sassorossi '75 pinpointed the time of the break-in to sometime after the snowfall on March 14 or 15.
"There were footprints in the snow outside the building," Sassorossi said.
The perpetrators gained entry to the Sphinx by "forcing open one of the side doors," according to Zampieri.
It did not appear that the building was "trashed" although there was evidence of further forced entry on several interior doors, he said.
Although Sassorossi declined to comment on the exact method the intruders used to enter the Sphinx, he said the perpetrators took a rather "unconventional approach" in breaking into the building.
"Nothing short of a metal door would have prevented them from getting in this time," he said.
The investigation into the break-in has been hindered by the absence of Sphinx members over the interim, but Zampieri said the probe will continue now that most students are back on campus.
The interim break-in was not the first illegal entry that the Sphinx has experienced. Sassorossi estimated that intruders attempt to enter the tomb at least once a year, and sometimes succeed.
The Sphinx has installed additional locks and replaced existing ones in order to prevent further break-ins, Sassorossi said.
Only a few feet away from the Sphinx, an attempted break-in at Woodward residence hall on March 13 was foiled by two College Safety and Security officers.
According to a Safety and Security BlitzMail bulletin, the officers observed two males attempting to break into a room in Woodward at 3:32 a.m. that morning.
The two men ran from the scene and one of the suspects called the other "Chris." Both were described as Caucasian and wearing light pants, dark jackets and hats.
The window screen to the room the two males were attempting to break into had been ripped and a piece of the frame was pulled out. The inside window was open, the bulletin said, but it was evident the pair had not yet entered the room.
Safety and Security Crime Prevention Officer Rebel Roberts said the Woodward break-in attempt is "still under investigation."
Roberts said she thought the motivation for the break-in was probably burglary.
