Harvard Police Nab ITT Thief

Local television sportscaster Bob Lobel recently wound up on the short end of the score, as money was stolen from his car in two separate incidents at the Soldiers Field parking lot last month.

Harvard Chief of Police Paul E. Johnson said the thefts took place between 7 and 9 p.m. on October 17 and October 24, while Lobel, the sports anchor at WBZ-TV, was playing tennis at the Indoor Track and Tennis Center (ITT).

On October 17, Johnson said, Lobel left his wallet, credit cards and $150 in cash locked in the glove compartment of his car. When he returned to his car, only the money was gone.

The situation repeated itself one week later, the police chief said, but when Harvard police put I obel's Volvo under surveillance on the next several Thursday evening, there was no activity at the ITT.

On November 14, however, Sgt. Detective John Miller spotted a man using a key to enter Lobel's car. Miller apprehended the suspect and arrested him after a brief struggle during which the officer was slightly injured.

"The campus police were un- believable," Lobel said yesterday. "It was such a thrill to see the police catch that guy that it was almost worth the $300 I lost."

The suspect, R. Christopher Ingram, had a locker close to Lobel's in Dillon Field House, providing him access to Lobel's car keys, Johnson said. After each theft, he replaced the car keys in Lobel's locker.

Ingram had been known to visit other universities in much the same manner, Johnson said. At the time, Ingram was under federal warrant for extortion and other crimes committed in the state of Maine.

Ingram was turned over to federal authorities and arraigned in Brighton district court. Lobel will testify against him next week.

Director of Athletics John P. Reardon '60 called security at Soldier Field a "never-ending problem."