Despite the Monday arrest of a man living in the Bryan Center, Duke Police maintain that campus security was patrolling all areas of campus throughout winter break.
Chief of Police John Dailey noted that the suspect, Ryan G. Howard, has no affiliation with the University, though he identified the man as local to Durham. Howard’s arrest report indicates that he is 23-year-old white male that weighs 180 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Although police are unsure as to the exact date of his entry into the Bryan Center, they suspect that it occurred over winter break, Dailey said.
Although class was not in session, the full staff of security and police patrol campus throughout break. Dailey noted that the presence of the suspect probably went unnoticed because he is "college-aged"and there were fewer people than normal on campus.
“We maintain a full staff of security and police during that time patrolling all parts of campus including the residences halls and parking lots,” Dailey wrote in an email Wednesday.
The incident report filed by Duke Police Monday accused the suspect of five crimes—breaking and entering of a building, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools, felonious larceny and trespass warning for all Duke property. At the time of the arrest, Howard was found in the Buddhist Meditation Area of the Bryan Center.
In addition to being in possession of stolen items from nearby offices, the report noted that Howard had stolen office keys in his pocket at the time of the arrest. Some of the stolen items included an iPad, a laptop, AKG audio microphones from Small Town Records and Duke Technical Services equipment.
Emergency Coordinator Kyle Cavanaugh deferred all comment to Dailey.
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