Possible Suspect Identified in Thefts

Detectives from the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) have identified a potential suspect in the series of burglaries that took place in Lowell House on Monday and last week.

According to HUPD Spokesman Steven G. Catalano, HUPD has charged an individual with trespassing in Lowell House, and the individual is also a potential suspect in the burglaries.

“As a result of information that we developed from a field interview, we decided to take trespassing charges against an individual who is a potential suspect in the thefts,” Catalano said.

HUPD is not releasing any more information about the potential suspect.

Four separate thefts have occurred in Lowell House in the last two weeks, with the value of stolen items totalling nearly $10,000.

In the first, which took place on Sept. 20, $2,000 in cash and $520 in checks were stolen from a room in Lowell’s K entryway.

In the second incident, a flatscreen television, a laptop computer, a PlayStation set, and a watch—totalling $4,350 in value—were stolen from a room in L entryway last Friday.

And on Monday, objects valued at $800 were stolen from a room in Lowell B entryway. A video camera, a digital camera, and some DVD’s—with a total value of $820—were also taken from a room in A entryway.

Earlier conversations with the victims of the thefts suggested that, in the three most recent thefts, the suspect—or suspects—inexplicably overlooked obvious valuables and went straight for specific items. In some rooms, iPods, jewelry, and wallets that were out in the open were left untouched. In another, three or four DVD’s were stolen—but nearly 100 others were not.

—Staff writer Reed B. Rayman can be reached at rrayman@fas.harvard.edu.