It was a Saturday night, and for some reason my roommate and I refused to go to bed. I stayed up until about 3 a.m. He went to bed 30 minutes later.

And that's when all the trouble began.

A fire alarm sounded around 6 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 3. Before leaving, I tried to find my wallet, but it wasn't on my desk with my keys like it normally would be. I searched for two minutes before giving up and joining the crowd outside.

It wasn't until around noon, when my roommate woke up again, that we discovered something else was missing -- his laptop.

We went to the police and reported a possible theft. You're not alone, the officer told us -- at least three other computers from the Cutler Apartments are missing too.

The police have since caught three people who allegedly are responsible. But I felt it important to explain the Sun Star's own problem -- how to cover a crime story when its editor is one of the victims.

I recognized the problem immediately. To avoid a conflict of interest, I delegated all editing responsibilities for the story to Amber Wilson, the Sun Star's photo editor. I also felt disclosure of my involvement was necessary. A reporter interviewed me, and I wrote this editorial. It's an awkward situation, and it was just one other oddity in a week where I for once found myself at the other end of a reporter's notebook.

Needless to say, I've been stressed out a lot this week. Polar Express required me to buy a new card, despite how the thefts occurred. I had to cancel my debit and credit cards. I lost my Social Security card. I had no driver's license anymore. The only form of legitimate ID I had left was my passport. I had $30 in the wallet, but really, who cares about the money when you've lost your identity?

My roommate had similar concerns. He had gone to Spain for a year on exchange. All the photos were on the laptop. He could replace the laptop, but not the memories.

Police haven't handed down charges yet. And we'll get our stuff back eventually (police are holding the items as evidence). But I hope the thieves realize what they stole was worth more than just $500 and $50, as they're looked at by the law. They took away parts of our lives.

- Nate Raymond, Managing Editor