The Hanover Police Department has a suspect in last week's theft of computers and other electronic equipment last week from student organization offices in Robinson Hall, Police Chief Nick Giaconne said yesterday.
Giaconne said investigators are focusing on a suspect who is not a member of the Dartmouth or Hanover communities. He said "detectives are working on a very strong lead" and indicated the police department is moving toward an indictment.
The Dartmouth also learned that police received information from a College student after a story about the thefts ran in the newspaper on Friday.
Aly Rahim '02 said he saw a white male in his late teens or early twenties with red hair and average build carrying a computer out of the back door of Robinson Hall on Thursday around 1:30 p.m. Rahim said police had him create a composite sketch of the man on Saturday.
A total of five computers -- three iMacs and two Macintosh G-4's -- were stolen on three separate occasions last week. Equipment was taken from the Student Publications office as well as the office of the Student Assembly.
The Assembly is currently borrowing an iMac from the Committee on Student Organizations until the equipment that was lost is replaced by insurance.
Assembly President Dean Krishna '01 said they will wait approximately one week in hopes that police will recover the computers, but added that they do not expect this to happen
Krishna and Assembly Vice President Margaret Kuecker '01 said the burglary has made the office an uncomfortable place and said they now spend less time in it than they used to.
According to Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Jack-O-Lantern humor magazine Dan Powell '00, there was a special meeting of COSO yesterday to discuss the situation.
Linda Kennedy, Director of Student Activities, could not be reached for comment.