Associate Professor of German Cynthia Appl was in for a surprise when she walked into her office, Case 105E, April 14 to find the remnants of an attempted break-in.

When Appl entered her office at 9 a.m., she discovered soil spread across the floor from flower pots that had fallen off the window sill.

Appl then informed security of the incident, who then called the Baldwin City Police Department. Officers arrived later that morning to investigate, gathering fingerprints from the window and surrounding area.

“We got there and found that somebody had partially pushed the window open, but no entry was made into the office,” Police Chief Mike McKenna said.

However, McKenna said he believes the perpetrator intended to enter the office.

“They either weren’t able to, or they were scared off by someone coming into the area,” McKenna said.

Appl said she didn’t notice anything missing at first, but when she returned to work Monday, she realized that one item – a garden gnome that had been sitting on her window sill – was missing.

“I didn’t even notice Friday morning he was gone because I was cleaning up the mess from the window that broke,” Appl said.

Appl’s parents purchased the stolen gnome, or Gartenzwerg as it’s known in German, for her when the family visited Germany in 1974.

“It’s kind of silly because it’s only a thing, but it does have sentimental value for me,” she said.

Appl said all she wants is for the memento she had had since the age of 7 to be returned.

“If he were to appear in the vicinity of my office, I would not ask any questions or pursue the matter further,” Appl said.