Hanover Police have arrested and charged a suspect in the theft of electronic equipment last month from the Student Publications and Student Assembly offices in Robinson Hall, and have also recovered three of the stolen computers.
Chief of Police Nick Giaconne described the suspect as a white male in his late twenties, but declined to give his name.
Giaconne said the arrest occurred on Jan. 27 in Lebanon and involved a person who was not a member of the Dartmouth community.
The suspect will be arraigned on theft charges tomorrow at the Grafton County Courthouse.
Since the theft involves more than $1,000 worth of property, it is classified as a Class A felony. If convicted, the suspect could be sentenced to as many as 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $12,000 -- twice the value of the equipment stolen.
The thefts occurred on three separate instances during the week of Jan. 17 from the student offices on the first floor of Robinson Hall.
A total of five computers, including a new iMac purchased the same week by the Assembly and a high-end, graphite iMac were stolen, along with a printer and a telephone.
Hanover Police detectives are continuing to investigate the theft and are "hopeful" that the remaining equipment will be recovered, Giaconne said.
Giaconne told The Dartmouth and Director of Student Activities Linda Kennedy confirmed that school officials have been notified of the equipment recovery.
Unfortunately, since the computers that have been recovered are evidence to the crime, they cannot be returned until any legal proceeding that are going to take place have been concluded, Kennedy said.
Kennedy declined to detail changes in security procedures that have taken place as a result of last month's thefts, but said it has prompted her department to begin a process of improvement and continual scrutiny.
"We look at our security efforts, and then we look at them again, and we look at them again," she said.
Kennedy said it is difficult to strike a balance between protection and over-protection.
"What we're interested in is how we can be as safe and secure as possible while preserving access."
Dean Krishna '01, Student Assembly President, said he had not been aware of the progress made by the Hanover Police until he was contacted by The Dartmouth.
According to Krishna, police are concerned that media coverage of the arrest could damage their investigation into a possible accomplice.
Vice President of Student Assembly Margaret Kuecker '01 expressed some concern about the lack of information that she and other organization leaders have received about the police investigation in the wake of the thefts.
