A former student was arrested on three counts of second-degree felony burglary on Jan. 14 in the parking lot of Sikes Hall.
Jessica Stacy, a freshman who lived in Sikes Hall last semester, was charged with three counts of burglary of a habitation for taking property from three separate dorm rooms, according to police reports.
The ACU Police Department received reports from four residents in Sikes Hall in mid-November, said ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison. According to the Taylor County jail records, the thefts took place on Nov. 4, Nov. 7 and Nov. 15. The thefts were classified as second-degree felony burglary of a habitation offenses because they occurred in dorm rooms. A second-degree felony in Texas carries a penalty of between two and 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
All of the rooms were unlocked, Ellison said, and none of the incidents involved forced entry.
“Dorm thefts are common on all college campuses,” Ellison said. “People move into a dorm and, because of the warm community environment, there’s a tendency to leave your room unlocked when you’re not in the dorm.”
Ellison said most of the stolen items were clothing.
“If you come in, and you’ve been gone for three hours, and someone’s taken a favorite pair of boots or a favorite pair of jeans, you may not notice that that’s even missing,” Ellison said. “Another reason to always lock your dorm room.”
Ellison said Sgt. Det. Thomas Valdez conducted an investigation, during which Stacy was interviewed. Stacy was determined as the suspect in three of the four cases, Ellison said. At the time, Stacy was a freshman social work major from Irving living in Sikes Hall.
ACUPD presented the three cases to the Taylor County District Attorney’s office, and during the winter break, the DA accepted the cases and issued three separate warrants for Stacy. She was arrested while moving out of Sikes Hall on Jan. 14. Her bond was posted at $10,000 for each crime, according to the Taylor County jail records.
“If we locked dorm rooms on this campus, we would reduce the incidents of theft and burglary substantially,” Ellison said.
Stacy was involved in publicizing a racially charged Snapchat video in mid-November that led to the suspension of two other students. When asked about the connection between the burglary and the video incident, Ellison said there was none.
Stacy would not comment on the arrest.
