Bizarre Burglary in Blacksburg

By Rosa Duarte

Published: February 7, 2008

Police say burglaries are the most commonly reported type of crime in Blacksburg. But one case took a strange and dangerous turn after a Virginia Tech student at Hunters Ridge apartments, woke up and found a man standing over her clutching knife.
Police say he put his hand over her mouth and told the young woman to be quiet, when she tried to push him away he cut her hand. That’s when the woman screamed and he took off.
The victim discovered her IPod, laptop computer and digital camera were missing.
However, Tod Burke a professor of Criminal Justice at Radford University, says the man’s behavior does not match that of a common thief.
“A common burglar is there to burglarize, they’re there to break into the house to take items in fact most burglars do not want a confrontation. This person expected a confrontation. Why? Because they came with a weapon.”
Burke says the man could have just been surprised to find someone home and panicked, there’s also “What we call the impulse rapist or impulse sexual assaultist, this is a person who plans one crime, for example break into a house during the evening planning a burglary, but on an impulse will commit a sexual assault why? Because the victim’s there.”
Whatever his reasons were, neighbors are being cautious and locking their doors.
A practice police say they can’t stress enough no matter what time of day it is.
Police say the man is described as a young black male in his 20’s, six foot tall with close cut black hair wearing a yellow crew neck and blue jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to Blacksburg police at 540-961-1150.