In recent months, several day lockers located in the men’s locker room and basement hallway in Kinesiology have been broken into, with all contents removed. The items stolen included sports equipment, cellular phones, CD players and money, and were valued at $13,500.
“After analyzing the circumstances and times of past offenses, officers were able to predict the likelihood of future offenses and focus their time and effort in the general area,” said Campus Security Manager Lanny Fritz.
After weeks of investigation, a suspect was finally caught. On Mon., Feb. 10 at 7:55 p.m., an undercover campus security officer spotted a man fitting the description of the suspect. The officer observed that the suspect continuously kept track of traffic as people used day lockers and left. To blend in, the suspect would change clothes and shower.
Meanwhile, the officer kept watch and radioed dispatch for uniformed officers to assist him in questioning the suspect. However, before they arrived, the man quickly took out a tire iron from his gym bag and broke into a locker. After removing the contents, he left the change room through the back stairwell.
“The uniformed officers were coming from the [Jack Simpson Gymnasium], and were able to stop and talk to him while the other officer was behind,” said Fritz.
Calgary Police were called, and the suspect was charged with theft under the Criminal Code.
“We also learned from our records that this person had been previously caught on campus in 1991, and at that time was responsible for seven locker break and enters,” said Fritz.
The suspect is a 41-year-old construction worker who apparently drove to campus after work.