WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue police arrested a man on Thursday (Sept. 10) in connection with the alleged theft of nearly $3,000 worth of items from a house on Russell Street shared by three university students.

Timothy Leung, 20, a sophomore in the College of Technology from Hinsdale, Ill., was charged with felony burglary and theft after his arrest late Thursday afternoon.

According to a report, the roommates called police on Tuesday (Sept. 8) evening after noticing several CDs, DVDs, a guitar and electronics equipment were missing.

The roommates later discovered that someone was trying to sell items similar to those taken from their house. Police arranged to meet the seller to buy a guitar. According to a police report, Leung was arrested after arriving at the location with the guitar that was allegedly stolen. Police later obtained a warrant to search Leung’s residence at 854 Rose St. in West Lafayette and discovered numerous items believed to be among those stolen, said Purdue police Lt. Fred Davis.

Burglary is a Class B felony and is punishable by a maximum fine of $10,000 and up to 20 years in prison. Theft is a Class D felony, punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and a maximum three years in prison.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue University police officer on bicycle patrol caught three men allegedly burglarizing the Underground Café in the Hicks Undergradute Library early Sunday (June 29).

Officer Mike Boesch was on patrol at about 3 a.m. when he noticed a 1995 tan Mercury Grand Marquis parked in a no-parking zone in front of Stewart Center, according to a police report. Remembering several recent reported thefts in Stewart Center and the Hicks library, Boesch proceeded to ride to each of the Stewart Center doors to make sure they were secured when he noticed two men exiting the east doors at Hicks.

“One of the men was carrying a large backpack in front of him, and it appeared to be heavy,” Purdue police Lt. Fred Davis said. “The two got in the vehicle, where a third man was sitting in the driver’s seat, and our officer confronted them.”

Davis said that Boesch asked to see what was in the backpack, and the man carrying it complied. The officer found several Rockstar energy drinks and two Fuze fruit drinks inside of it.

After further searches and questioning at the Purdue police station the three men were arrested on multiple charges. All are listed as homeless and have no connections to Purdue.

Nicholas R. Smith, 19, who was seen exiting the library, had been previously banned from the Purdue campus. He was charged with burglary, Class C felony; theft, a Class D felony; trespassing, a Class A misdemeanor; and failure to appear on a previous charge. He also was charged with possession of marijuana under 30 grams, a Class A misdemeanor, after police found a baggie in the jacket he was wearing. A warrant for his arrest also had been issued by Lafayette police for a battery charge.

Alan E. Hughes, 21, the vehicle’s driver, was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, a Class C felony, and false informing, a Class B misdemeanor. Tyler J. Bradbury, 20, the person seen carrying the backpack, was charged with burglary and theft.

Class C felonies are punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and a maximum eight years in prison, and Class D felonies are punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and three years in prison. Class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a $5,000 fine, and Class B misdemeanors by up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Each of the three have been issued trespass orders and are banned from the Purdue campus, Davis said.

“This is a fine example of how bike patrol aids us in our duties here at Purdue,” Davis said. “Officer Boesch was able to observe the suspicious activity from areas that would have been extremely difficult by officers in our patrol vehicles.”

Davis said Purdue police also contacted Lafayette police about several fireworks found in the car in relation to a theft at Circle City Fireworks.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University police are seeking a man in connection with a Thursday (June 12) morning attempted burglary at the Zeta Psi fraternity house, 950 David Ross Road.

The attempt is the second such incident reported in the last two days. Police investigated a burglary reported about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday (June 11) at the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity house at 417 Waldron St.

PUPD composite sketch of suspect

A man was confronted in the houses in both incidents, said Purdue Police Lt. Fred Davis. However, the suspect descriptions vary slightly.

In Thursday’s attempted burglary, a resident was preparing to leave for work around 5:30 a.m. and met a stranger in the hallway, according to a police report. The resident told police the man said he was looking for someone in the house. The man left the building through the front door, and the resident followed him and noticed a large blue duffel bag at the top of the stairs.

“The bag contained tools that the resident believes belong to the fraternity,” Davis said. “The resident looked around the house and didn’t notice anything else missing.”

PUPD composite sketch of suspect in attempted burglary at Alpha Kappa Lamda

The suspect is described as a bald white male in his late 20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing approximately 210-220 pounds. He was wearing a gray T-shirt and jean shorts, and drove away in a gray or light blue, possibly early 1990s, mid-sized van with two windows on the passenger side and double doors in the back, Davis said.

In Wednesday’s burglary at the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity house, a witness reported seeing an unknown man in the house around 8:40 a.m. Sometime after the man left, residents noticed several items – including a camera, a watch and a jar of change – were missing from their rooms. The suspect was described as a white, balding male with a goatee, 30-40 years old, about 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds. He was wearing a blue button-up, collared shirt and khaki shorts and left in a blue woodgrain-patterned truck, Davis said.

Anyone with information about these cases or who has seen suspicious activity in the area is asked to contact the Purdue Police Department at (765) 494-8221 or the anonymous tip line at (765) 496-3784.