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The Rice Thresher
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by Eric Carlson thresher staff
The suspect, Kok Chang Wong, 25, was charged with burglary of a habitation, a second degree felony, and transported to Harris County Jail. "[We will] probably get state felony charges [for theft]," Cpl. Ken Jackson said. If convicted on the burglary charge, Wong, who is from Ames, Illinois, could spend at least two years in jail and be fined $10,000. Officer Steve Reiter, the arresting officer in the case, said $15,000 was a "fairly conservative estimate" of the total value of the stolen property. Wong's first court appearance on the burglary charge was Oct. 17. He is on probation for a previous burglary charge and is being held without bond in the Harris County Jail. Wong's next court date is scheduled for Nov. 1. At 10:42 p.m. Oct. 15, a student flagged down Cpl. Alex Martinez and reported that a suspicious Asian man had followed her from the fourth floor to the first floor and then went back into the elevator at Lovett. Reiter was dispatched to the area, and Jackson, Officer Derek Griffin and other officers responded to assist. The officers did a quick "walk through" of the building, Jackson said, "looking for [a person matching] the description." Officers spotted a possible suspect. "[He] became very nervous - like a blink of an eye, he took off running with the suitcase," Jackson said. Police later determined that the suitcase belonged to Lovett freshman Matt Cuddihy. As the suspect ran towards the Lovett parking lot, he threw the suitcase into a dumpster behind the Lovett kitchen. Griffin apprehended Wong near the rear of Lovett House. After his arrest, Wong said his car was located in the Lovett parking lot, Reiter said. Police checked the vehicle and suspected that some of the property in the vehicle might have been stolen. The police contacted the district attorney and got permission to search the vehicle. According to Reiter, the property found in Wong's car had been taken from rooms on the second and fourth floors of Lovett. Cuddihy's suitcase had been filled with stolen property, Reiter said. On the night of Wong's arrest, Jackson said that the suspect has no known affiliation with the university. Among the items seized were two computers, four laptop computers, calculators, CD players, credit cards, a MiniDisc player, a video camera and various articles of clothing, including women's underwear. "[Most of these items are] highly transportable, highly marketable," Police Chief Bill Taylor said. Reiter said he commends the student who initially reported suspicious activity. "This is what makes Campus Watch work," he said. Taylor also praised the complainant. "[She] really helped a lot of people," Taylor said. "It was the way I would hope this would happen." Reiter said about 25 percent of the recovered property was engraved with identifying information, a service provided by the Campus Watch program. Taylor expressed concern that the burglar had easy access to the victims' unlocked rooms. "There was plenty of opportunity," Taylor said. "As residents we need to work on tightening our security." Most of the stolen property will be held as evidence by authorities until the conclusion of the judicial process. However, students were allowed to retrieve their computers because "[the assistant district attorney] gave permission to return property that is vital to college life," Jackson said.
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