Lock Your Doors

With the ongoing trial of 24-year-old former Texas State student Jonathan Porterie, San Marcos residents are reminded to take extra safety precautions when it comes to securing one’s home. I had the opportunity to sit in on part of his trial.

Porterie is on trial for the alleged sexual assault of a woman back in November 2012 after he entered her room at the University Club Apartments. Porterie’s defense says residents in a cluster of apartments at U-Club were friends that always hung out with each other and that these accusations could have been driven by jealousy. The prosecution, on the other hand, says that there have been several incidents reported to police where Porterie claimed to have walked into the wrong apartment. In one instance, a woman woke up in the middle of the night to see Porterie standing over her bed. Porterie said he was drunk and mistaken the woman’s apartment for his own.

When cross-examining one witness, Porterie’s attorneys questioned whether residents at U-Club made it a habit to lock their doors. This begs the question, Are we really being safe?

Sophmore  music major Aaron razo says that home security is something his parents instilled in him at a young age.

“My parents were always just like lock both locks always”
– Aaron razo

Razo says that locking front doors is not the real problem when it comes to his roommates.

 

“Generally whenever we go somewhere we try to lock the door. I know half the time….. my roommates will not just because they forget but one of the bigger things is that they forget to lock the back door, the sliding door.”
– Aaron razo

Junior and Copper Beech resident Alexis Wawrzynski says she is very forgetful and often leaves her doors unlocked especially when she goes to the pool to tan.

“To be honest I usually don’t take safety precautions. Its not because I don’t care. I’m forgetful. I don’t lock my doors, I’m usually in a hurry and my roommates get onto me about it because that’s something that’s important.”
– Alexis Wawrzynski

Wawrzynski says that hearing about the trial made her realize locking her doors needs to become a priority when she leaves her apartment.

“I’ve been trying to get better, especially after hearing about things that can happen and things that actually do happen and even in college towns.”
– Alexis Wawrzynski

Something that most people are not aware of is how easy they can be targeted for a home burglary by what they put on their social media. If you are out of town or out for the night it probably is not a good idea to post about it on Facebook or twitter. This gives a potential intruder a heads-up that you will not be home and gives them the perfect opportunity to break in.

For those who forget to lock their doors, put a sticky note or a dry erase board with a friendly “Remember” message for your roommates and yourself. Even if you are going to take a quick trip to your apartments pool or grabbing the mail, it is wise to still lock your doors, because you never know what can happen.

Taylor Alanis, KTSW News