Suspect
The Eugene Police Department arrested two men Wednesday night after they allegedly stole musical instruments valued at more than $25,000 from student lockers inside the University School of Music.
EPD spokeswoman Kerry Delf said the two suspects, Ronnie Brett Kerr, 35, and Nicholas Turre Jason, 26, were already wanted for separate criminal incidents. Kerr is being held at the Lane County Jail and is being charged with burglary 2 and aggravated theft 1. Jason was taken into custody and cited on the same charges but was released for medical reasons.
Music major Derek Newell, 28, almost lost his handmade cello, valued at more than $20,000, when Kerr and Jason first entered the school around 5:30 p.m. and broke into Newell’s locker, Delf said.
Delf said the two men then returned and took University music student Skyler Johnson’s $5,500 euphonium, but it wasn’t until their third time entering the building at around 8:30 p.m. that they were spotted by Johnson, who alerted EPD and Department of Public Safety officers already investigating the burglary and in the process of reviewing video evidence.
Delf said the officers ran up the stairs to find Kerr standing next to a locker, holding Johnson’s CD player.
An EPD officer arrested Kerr immediately, while Jason led a DPS officer on a foot pursuit for about two blocks until he was apprehended on the corner of Patterson Street and East 18th Avenue.
Upon locating the suspects’ yellow Toyota pickup, police discovered the cello, horn, burglary tools and a bike known to have been stolen from campus, all hidden under a tarp in the truck’s bed.
Kerr was arraigned Thursday, and Jason is scheduled to appear in court April 13. No trials have yet been set.
Janet Stewart, the assistant to the dean of the School of Music, said Wednesday’s burglars were either “very stupid or very bold.” She said the area of the music building in question is “highly traveled,” and with the burglars’ bolt cutters, “they were ready to seize the moment, and they did.”
Stewart also said the room housing the lockers was locked.
Delf said there were 42 burglaries and 405 theft cases reported during 2004 on the University campus.
DPS Interim Director Tom Hicks said so far this year, there have been only four burglaries.
Delf said Eugene’s property crime rate is “higher than what’s typical for a city of our size,” and “it’s mostly related to meth use.” She also said the University is often targeted by property criminals because students are inexperienced in locking up their property.
Delf recommends using two bike locks — a Kryptonite and a cable lock are best — because a thief most likely won’t want to take the extra time to break both locks. She also suggests renters’ insurance to students living in the area.
“It’s cheap, but kids don’t think to get it until it’s too late,” Delf said.
