A suspicious person was reported soliciting money on Central Campus and in the Trinity Heights area near East Campus over the past several weeks.
The man, identified as Kevin Edward Ross, has been reported to adopt the false identity of someone in need of a phone and then attempt to convince students to allow him into their residences, according to a Feb. 9 e-mail sent to Central Campus residents from Terry Lynch, Residence Life and Housing Services assistant dean of staff development and Central Campus. So far, no reports have indicated that Ross has threatened or injured anyone.
“[Ross] engages residents in conversation, claiming he is a fellow student or husband of a student with a vehicle problem,” Lynch wrote in the e-mail. “The individual then asks to use a telephone inside the residence. Once inside the home, he asks for money.”
Assistant Chief Gloria Graham of the Duke University Police Department said DUPD approached Ross and notified him that he was not permitted on campus and was therefore trespassing. DUPD has not received any reports of Ross on campus since then.
“He’s not affiliated with campus, and therefore was trespassed,” Graham said. “As far as right now, I think that we have done just about all that we can as far as letting him know he is not permitted on campus.”
Ross currently has an active warrant from the Durham Police Department for obtaining property by false pretenses. Obtaining property by false pretense occurs when an individual uses fraud or trickery to obtain property that does not belong to them.
Ross has a criminal history dating back to 1996 for an arrest in Georgia for credit card theft, according to the North Carolina Department of Corrections Web site. Since then he has been charged with crimes including larceny, use and possession of drugs, obtaining property by false pretenses and obstructing justice.
As a precaution, Lynch sent another e-mail Wednesday with the suspect’s mug shot, asking students to contact DUPD if he is sighted again.
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