A female undergraduate student was arrested Thursday afternoon at Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority on a misdemeanor charge for the fraudulent use of a credit card, Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Hanover Police obtained a search warrant for the student's room in the sorority's house and began the search on Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. The student, Isabella Mezzatesta, who is identified as an undergraduate in the Dartmouth Name Directory, was arrested at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to Giaccone.
"We were notified of this situation by Dartmouth officials who have been working directly with the Hanover Police," Kappa president Neera Chatterjee '12 said in a statement to The Dartmouth. "We are cooperating with both university officials and the authorities in regards to this situation. To comment on an open investigation would not be appropriate."
Investigation into the theft began "earlier this week," Giaccone said.
Mezzatesta was taken to the Hanover Police station where she posted her $2,000 bail and was released, according to Giaccone. Her arrest is currently classified as a misdemeanor charge.
Sentencing for misdemeanors may include a fine of up to $2,000 dollars and up to one year in the county jail, according to Giaccone.
Fraudulent use of a credit card for property or services valued under $1,000 is considered a misdemeanor, Giaccone said.
If the property value exceeds $1,000 but is under $1,500, the charge advances to a Class B felony. Any amount higher than $1,500 is a Class A felony, according to Giaccone.
Mezzatesta will likely be charged with several counts, and the charges against her many increase to felony charges, according to Giaccone.
"Each and every separate use of a card is called a count," Giaccone said. "I don't know the number, but it will be more than one count."
Mezzatesta used a stolen credit card to purchase merchandise from several stores in Hanover, according to Giaccone, although he declined to identify the stores that were involved in the ongoing investigation.
Hanover Police Detective Eric Bates led the investigation with assistance from one Safety and Security officer, Giaccone said.
Mezzatesta's court date is set for May 23, according to Giaccone.
Mezzatesta declined to comment for this article.
Justin Anderson, director of media relations at the College, declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
A national representative for Kappa Kappa Gamma, who was on campus Thursday for a previously planned bi-annual visit, declined to comment.
