A man was charged July 12 with a felony after University Police found him allegedly attempting to sell a stolen laptop computer to students on Northrop Mall.
Police answered a call about a suspicious person loitering in the Northrop Mall area July 10, and found John Suhr carrying a computer bag containing an Apple Powerbook laptop, according to the criminal complaint.
Suhr, 28, reportedly told officers his sister had given him the laptop, but later said a woman named Sara sold it to him for $300. Suhr said he was attempting to sell it.
Files on the computer indicated it belonged to a woman named Linda Campbell.
She reported the Apple Powerbook stolen March 29 from her car, which was parked in an underground garage in Waite Park near St. Cloud. She estimated its value at $1,000.
“I’m surprised that it was located,” Campbell said.
Campbell said the popularity of Apple computers among educators might explain why it resurfaced at the University.
University Police filed charges immediately after finding the computer. “I like things to get done right away,” Det. Patricia Gjerde said.
If convicted, Suhr could face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
In other police news:
ù A burglar damaged two screens but failed to gain entry to a Folwell Hall office Thursday night, according to University Police.
John Archer, professor of cultural studies and comparative literature, said he has found the screens of his first-floor office tampered with before.
“People are just checking to see if the window happens to be loose,” Archer said. “Then they could get in and prowl around.”
ù University Police chased two underage drinkers Sunday morning, catching one but losing another as the person fled into a wooded area along the Mississippi River.
Police called in several emergency response teams but never caught nor identified the second person, according to the report.
ù A drunk driver struck several parked cars along the 2500 block of Southeast Como Avenue early Sunday morning.
The 24-year-old man’s blood-alcohol level measured 0.22, according to the Minneapolis police report.
Robert Koch covers police and courts and welcomes comments at [email protected].
