The Pierce College Sheriff’s Department is seeking two suspects who stole golf carts from a construction site through campus surveillance cameras on March 1, at 9:45 p.m.
Senior Lead Sheriff Deputy Isaac Jorge received a report on March 3, that the gate in Lot 8 had been broken into. The sheriff’s team searched the area but was unable to locate the suspects that night.
“It’s just a dark area, we’re doing our best where we can to put our people there,” Jorge said. “We advise faculty and staff to put some clubs, some safety devices, and hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”
Faculty and staff use the golf carts to get around campus and the farm every day. The cost to replace a cart is between $5,000 – $10,000. President Ara Aguiar recalled earlier attempts at theft on campus.
“A few months back, there was an attempt to steal a couple of golf carts from the farm area,” Aguiar said. “Which would have really been bad because our team their uses them to get around the farm and be able to be available for anything that our animals need.”
The thefts come amidst a shortage of golf carts on campus.
“We wish we had more of them actually for our team,” Aguiar said. “We’re short already on carts because they break down and some of them need to be replaced.”
Executive Assistant to the president Malina Koani does her best to get around campus on foot and relies on the golf cart.
“I try to walk as much as I can now, but they’re so helpful when we’re carrying a lot of things,” Koani said. “Especially when we have to have an event in another room.”
Overall, Pierce has been safe, with the campus having had very few incidents of theft or vandalism.
“We just wish that this campus feels like a safe place to be able to leave something out there like that,” Koani said. “Knowing that somebody would take off with one is kind of a shame because you feel it reminds you that it’s not completely as safe as we think it is.”
