By Lori Bredemeyer, Staff Writer
Campus police are investigating the theft of a computer and approximately $150 from the Art Department.
The money was reported stolen on Jan. 23, and Jack Maxwell, chair of the Art Department, said it was petty cash that had been stored in his office for about a week.
His office is located inside the main Art Department office, both of which are kept locked.
Chief of ACU Police Jimmy Ellison said in an e-mail that officers are continuing to interview anyone who had access to the office but have not had any solid leads.
“This type of crime typically has a low solvability rate, but we will do whatever we can to attempt to clear it,” Ellison said.
The computer theft was reported Jan. 31; however, the exact date of its disappearance is unknown.
Maxwell said the last time anyone remembers seeing it was last semester, and the faculty assumed it was being repaired.
Ellison said he is working with the Information Technology Department to find out the last time someone logged onto the computer and if anyone is using it now.
The computer was taken from a printer room in the Don H. Morris Center, and only the keyboard, mouse and central processing unit were stolen; the monitor was left behind.
Maxwell said the printer room was unlocked because it does not have card access like the computer lab does.
“We try to keep security, but it’s not unusual to come in in the evening and find that a door’s propped open,” he said. “I understand why the students do it, but it’s not a very smart thing to do. I don’t think they realize the risk.”
Because the theft did not occur recently, Ellison said it is harder to try to solve the crime.
“The older the trail, the colder the trail,” he said. “This theory applies to all types of crimes, that is why we have worked so hard to re-educate the campus community this year about being aware and reporting everything promptly.”
Maxwell said this is not the first occurrence of theft in the Art Department.
He said a digital camera was stolen from the Art Department last year.
