Thefts continue as residents of Schilletter Village fear for their soles.

Since Jan. 1, ISU Police have received four reports of stolen footwear and one report of shoe soles found on steps at Schilletter Village. All of the reports were made by residents of the university housing complex located north of campus.

ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger said the department is looking into all facets and pursuing any leads; however, the investigation is not at a point where a suspect could be named.

Haiming Ma, graduate student in statistics, said his wife was the first to notice a shoe taken from outside their apartment at 64A Schilletter Village.

“At that time, it had snowed a lot and [in order to] keep the floor clean we usually keep our shoes outside,” he said. “When my wife returned home from doing laundry, she found one tennis shoe had disappeared.”

Ma also explained that at the time of the alleged theft, two pairs of shoes were outside of their apartment — his own and his daughter’s.

“It seems like [the thief] targets women’s shoes,” he said.

Deisinger said he has no basis to believe that suspects are targeting victims based on their gender or nationality.

“My belief is that this is a crime of opportunity and that whatever shoes are available will be taken,” he said.

On Jan. 16, Dongmei Zhai, graduate student in statistics, reported that one running shoe had been taken from outside of her apartment at 53A Schilletter Village, though this is not the first time her family has fallen victim to this crime.

Zhai said the first incident occurred during the past summer when two pairs of women’s shoes were stolen.

The university has seen this type of criminal behavior in the past as well, Deisinger said. About five years ago, Rusty Sills, a Des Moines resident at the time, was arrested for stealing shoes from Schilletter Village.

“When [the department] sees an increase of activity like this, we increase our patrols,” Deisinger said. “We’ve modified our patrols on specific campus locations, both visible and covert patrols.”

He also said the department has encouraged residents to be the eyes and ears of the community. They have advised residents not to leave footwear in the hall and to make sure all doors remain closed.

“We’re all guilty of being courteous Midwesterners, and during particularly cold weather, people are more likely to hold doors open to people,” he said. “Let others use their own keys to open buildings.”

Despite the thefts, Ma and Zhai say they feel safe.

“I think the community is a safe place,” Zhai said. “I think it was an incident that will seldom happen. I hope so.”