On April 16 in cooperation with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Galesburg Police, Monmouth Police arrested a suspect in the burglary of items from the Huff Athletic Center locker room. Thirty-three-year-old Tanner Smith was taken into custody by Monmouth Police after arrest in Galesburg on April 14.
Monmouth Police responded to two different reports of thefts at the Huff Athletic Center over two days, April 8 and 9. Several individuals’ belongings were stolen from locker rooms during late evening practices. “This situation has been incredibly frustrating and upsetting. The items stolen—my volleyball shoes and team bag—were both expensive and recently purchased for the season,” said Zoe Nizzia.
Students soon went to Yik Yak. Anonymous posts questioning their presence and situation. One student posted: “Did the locker rooms get raided or something? Who tf is going into lockers stealing stuff?” Another post raised concerns about potential student IDs stolen to be used to enter residential halls.
After one student pinged their phone location, Knox County Sheriff’s Deputies were able locate a car owned by Smith with a bag containing six phones inside it. Monmouth Police contacted some of the other student victims, who were also able to ping their phones to the car’s location. Security cameras identified a car matching Smith’s vehicle parked on campus. Also, officers identified Smith walking downstairs in the Huff where the locker room is located and ten minutes later entering the parked car leaving campus two minutes after that.
Officers obtained a search warrant and found the stolen items in his car, home, and a safe located in his bedroom. “Inside the safe (were) ten cellphones that were wrapped in a black piece of clothing. The cellphone belonged to the victims of this case. Also, inside the safe (were) IDs, credit cards, SS cards that belonged to our victims,” Investigator J. Kramer wrote in his report.
After police the stolen property was identified, nine cell phones were returned. “I told all students that had credit cards and debit cards stolen to report their cards stolen to their banks and to report any fraudulent activity to Monmouth PD” Officer Boyer said in his written police report.
According to the police report, Smith admitted during an April 14 interview to taking the shoes, wallets, and phones but no cash during the two separate incidents. Upon his release from Knox County Jail, Monmouth police arrested and booked Smith for burglary.
The incident has raised concerns about security measures in the Huff. “This incident raises serious concerns about locker room security. Currently, there appears to be no effective measures in place to prevent unauthorized access. Anyone—whether a student, coach, or outsider—could potentially enter the volleyball and swim locker rooms at any time. This is not only a property issue but also a significant safety concern,” said Nizzia.