Collegiate Times

Virginia Tech police have made an arrest after a string of thefts that occurred in Pritchard Hall on Feb. 2.

Akhil Patel, a 20-year-old finance major, was arrested at his off-campus residence Tuesday and charged with three counts of breaking and entering.

Earlier this month, it was reported that a male entered several rooms in Pritchard Hall and stole various items from rooms that were unlocked and unoccupied. The suspect went through the hall checking doors to see if they were unlocked. When he encountered occupants, he claimed to be a resident looking for a roommate or an RA doing rounds.

T.J. Davis, a freshman chemistry student, was in his dorm at the time.

“On Saturday night, my friends and I were hanging out in the hallway when a guy asked us what we were doing and claimed to be an RA doing rounds. We didn’t recognize him, and he didn’t have a badge on, but we didn’t think much of it,” Davis recalled. “Later that night, my friend told us her wallet was stolen, and that was when we knew something was up. The next morning, we went to our senior RA and told him what happened.”

Lt. Deborah Morgan of the Virginia Tech Police said the investigation was based on witness statements that led to Patel's arrest.

Under Virginia law, breaking and entering while the dwelling is occupied, with the intent to commit another misdemeanor, is a class six felony.

The VT alert informing students of the arrest was sent to students yesterday morning with a warning for students to continue being cautious and lock belongings in their rooms.

Another alert was sent out later yesterday, alerting students to a string of burglaries in Cochrane Hall. These burglaries date back to December 2012 but went unreported until Feb 18. As of now, there are no leads or suspect descriptions for those thefts.

In the alert, VT police reminded all students to report crimes immediately.

Follow this writer on Twitter @MReardonCT

A version of this article appeared in the Feb 21 issue of the Collegiate Times.