Police arrest 5 suspects in campus burglaries

UIC Police arrested five men Friday in connection with a series of burglaries and criminal damage in four campus buildings occurring Sept. 25 through Oct. 13.

The UIC Police Investigations Unit recovered nearly all the $35,000 worth of computer equipment and musical instruments stolen from the Education, Performing Arts and Social Work building, UIC Theatre, Behavioral Sciences Building, and Science and Engineering Offices building.

Police believe the men caused about $19,500 worth of damage to campus buildings, Sgt. Stan Grice said.

The five, who are not UIC students, were arrested at 8 a.m. Friday at 410 S. Morgan St.

Rodney Moore, 19, Emilio Guzman Jr., 24, Noah Benjamin Ferris, 18, Rasheed Williamson, 21, and Kenneth Stanek, 18, were charged in connection to the burglaries.

“All suspects confessed to the crimes,” Grice said.

The investigations unit identified Ferris after a trumpet he pawned was identified on a law enforcement database that lists items sold to pawn shops.

Upon further investigation, police identified another suspect who was one of four men seen on surveillance cameras walking through the Education, Performing Arts and Social Work building, checking doors for access to rooms.

“We kept digging and found out they lived at the same address,” Grice said. “I put a team together and we went to that address, and the building manager identified all five as living there.”

Many of the recovered items were found at the residence, police said.

The suspects are accused of causing “extensive criminal damage” in the Behavioral Sciences Building, smashing glass doors and damaging more than 20 computers, Grice said.

They are alleged to have broken into wooden lockers in the Education, Performing Arts and Social Work building to take musical instruments. Other items were also taken, including a sound mixer from the UIC Theatre.

About $7,000 worth of computer equipment from the Science and Engineering Offices was also taken, which was recovered, Grice said.

The suspects were charged with 17 felony charges: three counts of felony criminal damage and 14 counts of burglary, and one misdemeanor theft charge.