Two Loyola female freshmen were arrested on Thursday, Feb. 26 and charged with the felony crime of larceny. They will stand trial as co-defendants on April 12, 2004 before the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City.
The students, Sarah O'Connell and Courtney McManama, allegedly stole items valued at over $700 from a room in Campion Tower. Up to 15 years in jail and/or a fine of $25,000 may be given to the defendants if found guilty on the charge.
In terms of the college's disciplinary board, the standard punishment for a student who is found responsible of violating the college's code of community standards by committing theft may result in suspension in serious cases, according to the Community Standards handbook
"Each sanction is dependant upon if the student is found responsible and what the specific situation was," said Leonard Brown, director of Student Life.
According to the District Court's report, the defendants allegedly entered the room of sophomore females in Campion Towers on or around Feb. 16, 2004 and stole "a Louis Vuitton bag, valued at $700 and containing miscellaneous credit cards and other property."
Other items allegedly stolen included a wallet and purse, state license, Social Security card, gym card, gift card to an apparel retailer, debit card, tanning salon goggles, Britney Spears CD, wallet, silver ring, and Tiffany's ring. The total value of the stolen items was reported as $1,909, according to a campus police report.
The defendants were allegedly confronted by one of the residents, who asked what they were doing in the room. The women replied that they were looking for "Brit," were told that no one by that name lived in the room, and left, according to the District Court report.
According to Loyola's campus police report, one of the witnesses received a gift card in the mail from Circuit City. When she called the company, she was told the card had been billed to her debit card online on Feb. 16, 2004.
Upon hearing this information, the witness began looking for her purse but was unable to find it. She said she remembered that the bag was outside of her room when the defendants had allegedly entered. The woman called her bank, which informed her that another purchase had been made to her account at Foot locker and as a result, cancelled the account at the store as well as her bank account.
The woman then contacted campus police, who advised her to call the Baltimore City Police Department. The Loyola officer also told her to get a credit report to see if any new accounts had been opened in her name, according to Loyola's report.
As the property was valued at over $500, both defendants were positively identified by the two witnesses as having been in the room and committed the crime, according to the court report.
Since their arraignment, both defendants have been allowed to attend classes as of Friday, March 12 but were removed from campus housing while awaiting a hearing with Student Life and their trial.
A clerk in the law office of Richard G. Berger, who is representing O'Connell, said, "Because of the situation pending, [Berger] can not make any comments at this time."
Paul Krawczyk of Warnken LLC attorneys at law, the legal representative of McManama, said "[McManama] is going to address this situation and take whatever steps are necessary. She looks forward to continuing her education at Loyola College."
A witness contacted by The Greyhound said that she had been advised by campus police not to speak to the media. Tim Fox, the director of Public Safety, said that the department does not tell students whether or not to speak with the media.
Despite repeated requests, The Greyhound was unable to obtain the official police reports for the incident and the arrests from the Baltimore City Police Department.
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