Expensive viola stolen from locker

The IU Police Department is investigating the disappearance of $20,000 worth of musical equipment at the School of Music. Graduate student Kim Hellgren told IUPD Thursday evening that her viola, bows, case and strings had been stolen from her locker on the second floor of the Music Annex sometime between 6 p.m. Wednesday, when she left the music school, and 6 p.m. Thursday when she returned.\nHellgren said she "is pretty sure" she locked her instrument in her locker with a combination lock after she finished playing in an adjacent practice room Wednesday. She went about her daily activities and returned to the locker. When she came back to the building to practice Thursday, her viola was not in where she left it.\nIUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said the locker had no sign of forced entry. Hellgren said it is possible that the lock was not completely secured. \nWhen she realized that her viola was not in her locker, she searched the nearby practice rooms and asked janitors, faculty and staff members who frequent that part of the Music Annex. Her search yielded nothing. \nHellgren was shocked when it finally looked like her instrument was gone. \n"I just couldn't believe it," she said. "I always have my instrument. I never leave it anywhere." \nAll of the missing items are very distinct and unique, Hellgren said.\nThe viola is a Swedish-made Italian Ballestreri, bearing the name of its builder, Peter Vvesterlund. It is roughly 17 inches long, looks "very thin for a viola." The viola also has a dark, rich brown color which makes the instrument look older than it really is. \n"It looks like it hit a tanning bed for instruments," she said.\nHellgren estimates that the viola is worth between $13,000 and $14,000.\nTwo bows were also in the case with the instrument. One of the bows was made in Germany by Gregor Vvalbrodt and is worth roughly $5,000. The other is a less valuable French bow.\nThe case itself is black and rectangular -- relatively typical for a viola case. However, it has bright brown leather backpack straps and a metal nametag attached to in the shape of Playboy bunny bearing Hellgren's name and contact information. \nOnestart now features a "Lost & Found" ad that details the missing equipment and lists Hellgren's e-mail address in the contact information. \nThe instrument is insured and Hellgren is confident she will get money for a new viola, but is more upset about the time it took her to find her beloved viola and bow.\n"It took me years to find an instrument that fit me correctly and sounded right," she said. \nIn September 2004, a student reported that a $600 violin had been stolen from the Musical Arts Center. In May 2004 police arrested a School of Music janitor for the left of a $25,000 violin and several thousand dollars worth of electronics. \nIUPD is planning on stepping up patrols around the School of Music, because of the reported theft. \nGwyn Richards, the dean of the School of Music had no comment because police are still investigating whether the viola was stolen at all, said Jennifer Naab, Richards' administrative assistant. \nIn light of this incident and past thefts, Hellgren said she would like a more systemic security upgrades in music buildings than simply more police patrols.\nBut, in the meantime, Hellgren just wants her prized viola back,\n"It's so mean to steal an instrument," she said. "It's not just the money -- there is a whole life to it"