Residents in DTN Management Co.-owned apartments are being cautioned to lock their doors and windows because of numerous cases of intruders checking for unlocked doors and, in some cases, entering apartments.
DTN has sent out a letter warning residents to be on the lookout and report any suspicious activity to the police.
The suspect has generally been described as a male in his mid-20s, with a medium build, ranging in height from 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall, with brown hair and very intense blue eyes.
Authorities say that the Cedar Village apartments and East Village area is a common thread in all of the cases, but incidents have been reported as far north as the Burcham and Abbott roads properties.
"It usually occurs in the early morning hours, but we don't have a specific pattern as far as the days are concerned," East Lansing police Detective Steve Gonzalez said.
East Lansing authorities have already made one arrest.
Gonzalez said that although the arrest may have pertained to the case, there are still other suspects that haven't been caught.
"A couple weekends ago, on Saturday morning, a suspect was identified and we're in the process of pressing charges against him," Gonzalez said. "We feel the guy we just caught was an isolated incident.
"The guy matched the description, but the description was very general."
Police weren't sure the person they caught was the main perpetrator, which is the reason why the letter was sent out and posted at all of the apartment complexes.
After repeated attempts, DTN officials could not be reached.
In the letter, DTN asks residents to follow common safety and security precautions.
"Keep your doors locked, keep your windows locked and make sure you knows who's around and what's going on in the building," Gonzalez said.
Communication sophomore Angela Schroeder, who lives in Waters Edge Apartments, said she left her doors unlocked for a party she threw in the beginning of the year — and near the end of the party, an unidentified, intoxicated man entered the apartment and defecated in the kitchen cupboards.
"He just took off," recalled Schroeder. "We learned our lesson. It was pretty gross."
Cedar Village resident Amy Gast always attempts to monitor what goes on during the weekends in her building and is familiar with the DTN letter.
"I've read a lot of the security fliers. Our neighbors just recently got a lot of their stuff ripped off," said the communication sophomore. "On the weekends a lot of people come over. We keep a lot of our valuables out of living room and locked up in our bedrooms.
"We always make sure the doors are locked."
Staff writer Melissa Domsic contributed to this report.
