Wharton junior Jason Myers was arrested Thursday for 10 burglaries committed inside Harnwell College House over Thanksgiving break.
Between Nov. 21 and Nov. 26, Myers, then a Harnwell resident, allegedly stole items from 10 different dorm rooms on various floors of the college house. He stole only from rooms that were left unlocked, taking mostly electronics.
Myers, who is no longer living in Harnwell, has confessed to the burglaries. He was charged with 10 counts of criminal trespass, burglary, theft and receiving stolen property and has been released after posting $5,000 bail.
Stolen items included Xboxes, iPods, Playstations, game controllers, Gameboys, CDs and DVDs.
In their investigation, Penn Police detectives, with the help of Harnwell Dean Suhnne Ahn, interviewed all the victims, some of whom said they had noticed someone going in and out of rooms on their halls. After further investigation, police identified the suspect, obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of Myers' apartment, leading to his arrest.
Myers had allegedly taken much of the loot to his home in New York City over Thanksgiving. When his mother discovered the charges, she released those items to Penn detectives, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.
Rush said most, if not all, of the stolen belongings have been recovered, and would be returned to their original owners starting today.
College sophomore Frank Chinga, who had his DVDs, CDs, and iPhone stolen, said he and many other victims were pleased with the outcome and speed of the investigation.
"I was pretty impressed by how quickly they were able to find whoever stole our stuff," he said, adding that he was shocked at how soon his belongings would be returned.
Chinga added that the thefts in the building have not changed his opinion of the high-rise, saying, "This kind of thing could have happened in any other college house. I'm just glad that we have the kind of community here where everyone tries to look out for each other after such things happen."
Myers' preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 10.
University disciplinary measures are confidential, and it is unclear whether Myers will continue his studies at Penn.
The Philadelphia Police Public Affairs division could not be reached over the weekend to provide a photograph of Myers.
Editors note: All 10 counts of criminal trespass, burglary, theft and receiving stolen property were expunged from Myers' record on Jan. 9, 2009.
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