Police Arrest Matthews Intruder

In the latest of a long string of alleged burglaries and trespassings in Matthews Hall, Harvard Police arrested a man for breaking and entering into the building early Saturday morning.

The numerous break-ins last week prompted the Freshman Dean's Office to install locks on bathroom doors and the Harvard Police to pledge to arrest, rather than warn, any trespassers in the first-year dormitory.

Police said they caught 19-year-old Hermand Curry of Roxbury entering a room on the third floor of Matthews North around 6:30 a.m. Saturday.

Curry found Lamelle Rawlins '99 awake when he entered the room, Rawlins said.

"A man just barged into our room, and I realized what was going on. He held up an ID and said he was a student, but obviously he was not," Rawlins said.

According to Rawlins, the man then left Matthews.

Called Police

Rawlins called the Harvard University Police immediately to report the intruder, a black male wearing a dark green coat and black boots, Rawlins said.

The police arrived at Matthews, apprehended the suspicious person, conducted a field interview and then asked Rawlins to confirmed his identity as the intruder, Rawlins said.

"The caller did the right thing; the officers responded promptly and made a nice arrest," said Harvard Police Lt. John F. Rooney.

Curry was charged with breaking and entering as well as trespassing. Rooney said that Curry had been caught trespassing at a previous time and had been sent away with a warning.

"It's scary that the break-ins have happened so much in Matthews. It's scary that he came into our room," Kelly A. Hoffman, Rawlins' roommate, said.

Matthews residents said they have noticed heightened security precautions resulting from the break-ins.

It's very disconcerting to have a stranger open your door and walk into your door and walk into your room. We are definitely locking our door and I encourage other students to do the same," Rawlins said.