University employees acted the hero, detaining a man they caught trying to steal laptops until police arrived at 4 p.m. on June 15.
Clayton Nelson was arrested on 3 counts of third degree burglary and one count of theft for allegedly stealing two laptop computers, a printer and a tool bag from the Marvel building, 1213 E. South Campus Drive, reports stated.
Employees in the building remembered the man from an incident on May 25 in which the man was attempting to steal a computer monitor.
"He was wandering the building looking for things to steal," said Scott Dreisbach, building manager for Marvel.
Nelson was walking through the building with a cart containing a blue barrel, which held the computers, a printer and a black tool bag.
Arnold Raitsimring, an associate staff scientist for the chemistry department, saw the man and recognized him from the incident on May 25. After checking with a co-worker, he was sure that it was the same man.
Ian Jones, a graduate student assistant for the department, left his computer for five minutes and when he returned it was gone. He ran outside to see if the man had left the building but did not find him.
Employees were posted at the exits to keep the thief from leaving and they found Nelson in the basement.
The employees asked Nelson what he was doing and he responded, "doing computer maintenance," reports stated.
Jones approached Nelson and he began to tense his muscles and try to make a move.
"We physically held onto him against a wall until police arrived," Jones said.
"He complained that we were cutting off circulation. We had a lot of sympathy for him," he said.
UAPD Officer David Caballero said that the UA employees really worked together to apprehend this criminal.
"It's a very good example of where the Police and community have partnered up to apprehend a suspect," he said. `
Police arrested Nelson but he refused to answer any questions until there was an attorney present.
Nelson then asked police if he provided a statement, would the victims receive their property sooner.
When asked what type of statement he was referring to, Nelson said, "What they said happened," indicating the statements provided by the employees.
Police asked Nelson if he wanted to fill out a voluntary statement and Nelson said he would do that back at the police station.
Police asked Nelson about the tool bag and he said he had picked it up outside and it did not belong to him.
Nelson was handcuffed and transported to UAPD. All of the evidence was placed into property at the station including two cameras, a set of keys and a cell phone that Nelson claimed as personal property.
"He was just a sick man," Raitsimring said.
The laptops were returned to the employees two days later.
Nelson is still in jail on three counts of third degree burglary on $1,100 bond.
His arraignment is set for July 2, at which he will be formally charged for the crime.
Tips to keep your laptop safe
Lock it up
Any computer store will have locks, which are cheap and effective. Lock your laptop to an immovable object and you can feel secure. Take the lock with you when you take your laptop out of the house, and even consider locking it at home. Roommates may not be trustworthy.
Keep an eye on it
Don't take your laptop to the library and go look for a book while it sits on the table. And don't just ask someone to watch it for you. Do the watching yourself, and don't take it out in public if you don't have to.
Get a good carrier
Laptops are often broken and stolen because of bad carriers. Don't throw it in any backpack; make sure that the bag has enough padding to make up for some rough treatment. Also make sure your bag doesn't scream "I have an expensive laptop!" - you might tip off the thieves.
Make your mark
There are ways (physically and electronically) to make your mark on your laptop, so that if it is stolen but later found, you'll be able to prove it was yours. Also, make sure you write down the laptop serial code and model number.
Insure it
You can take out policies that include insurance on your laptop, which may sound a bit ridiculous, but will save you a grand or more if the unthinkable ever does happen.