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NEWS
The  New  Paltz  Oracle
Series  of  Thefts  Lead  to  Arrest  of  Non-ÂStudent By  Justin  McCarthy News  Editor  |  Jmccarthy46@newpaltz.edu
A  19-Âyear-Âold  was  arrested  earlier  this  month  on  multiple  charges  after  an  investigation  of  a  series  of  alleged  thefts  on  the  SUNY  New  Paltz  campus. According  to  University  Police  Chief  Ray  Bryant,  Julius  Judd  faces  a  number  of  charges  including  burglary,  petit  larceny,  grand  larceny,  trespassing  and  criminal  impersonation. Bryant  said  Judd  had  allegedly  com- mitted  thefts  of  students’  unattended  knapsacks  and  laptops  in  both  Hasb- rouck  Dining  Hall  and  the  Sojourner  Truth  Library  (STL). “There  were  quite  a  few  altogether  that  we  believe  he  was  responsible  for,â€?  said  Bryant.  “Just  before  we  made  the  ar- rest,  I  put  an  advisory  out  to  all  students,  advising  them  that  we’d  had  thefts  in  the  dining  hall  [and]  to  protect  their  prop- erty.â€? Mary  Ritayik,  investigator  for  the  university  police  force,  said  Judd  had  been  arrested  on  charges  of  four  cases  of  theft.  There  are  also  nine  additional  lar- ceny  cases  that  are  still  open  and  “may  or  may  notâ€?  have  been  committed  by  Judd,  she  said. According  to  Ritayik,  there  were  10  incidents  of  theft  in  Hasbrouck  Dining  Hall  between  Sept.  24  and  Oct.  24. “And  in  the  library,  there  were  three  in  that  time  period,â€?  said  Ritayik.“But  it  was  like  the  same  days,  we’d  get  three  larcenies  all  within  two  hours  at  dinner  time  in  the  dining  hall.  So  we  were  like,  ‘somebody  just  went  in  here  and  ran- sacked  cubby  holes.’â€? After  noticing  a  “spikeâ€?  in  thefts,  Ritayik  said,  the  department  took  up  the  investigation.  Through  a  combination  of  student  tip-Âoffs  and  video  footage  of  Judd  making  a  purchase  with  a  credit  card  stolen  from  the  bag  of  one  of  the  VWXGHQWV -XGG ZDV LGHQWLÂżHG FKDUJHG and  arrested. Ritayik,  who  had  been  following  the  investigation,  was  the  one  to  contact  Judd  about  his  impending  arrest. “I  spoke  to  him  on  the  phone,â€?  Ritayik  said.  “We  got  a  warrant  for  him  when  we  found  out  it  was  him.  And  he  was  out  of  state,  so  we  had  to  call  him  and  let  him  know  that  ‘you  have  a  war- rant  here  and  you  need  to  turn  yourself Â
in.’â€? Ritayik  said  Judd  turned  himself  in  and  was  taken  to  jail.  She  said  he  was  later  bailed  out,  but  now  awaits  a  court  trial. “I  don’t  know  where  it  sits  right  now,â€?  said  Ritayik.  “He  has  been  charged,  but  it  hasn’t  gone  to  court  yet.  I  don’t  even  know  if  he  pled  guilty  or  if  he  pled  not  guilty  or  if  there’s  a  plea  on  the  table  .  .  .  It  takes  a  couple  of  weeks.â€? Judd  was  contacted,  but  was  not  available  for  comment. A  number  of  media  outlets  have  re- ported  Judd’s  address  to  be  215  Main  St.  in  New  Paltz.  But  according  to  Bryant,  Judd  “didn’t  really  have  a  placeâ€?  at  the  time  of  arrest  and  had  been  evicted  from  the  Main  Street  address.  Bryant  also  said  Judd  was  a  former  student  at  SUNY  New  Paltz. While  Bryant  said  Hasbrouck  Din- ing  Hall  has  installed  cameras  by  the  cubby  area  as  a  result  of  the  thefts,  the  li- brary  also  continues  to  take  precautions.  According  to  Donna  Provenzano,  a  night  and  weekend  supervisor  at  STL,  the  li- brary  monitors  “all  overâ€?  the  library. “We  also  have  put  down  signs  to  be  very  aware  and  not  to  put  anything  down  that  is  of  value  or  anything  and  leave  un- attended,â€?  Provenzano  said.  “Like  I  tell  students  all  the  time,  if  I  see  them  with  laptops,  I  just  say,  ‘be  very  aware  of  your  surroundings  and  don’t  leave  anything  behind.’â€? For  some  students,  the  recent  thefts  have  been  a  wake-Âup  call  to  careless  or  worry-Âfree  behavior. Student  Association  Vice  President  of  Academic  Affairs  and  Governance  Caitlin  Ryan  said  she  rarely  worries  about  being  a  victim  of  theft.  Ryan,  who  is  from  Queens,  feels  very  safe  in  New  Paltz. “I’ll  go  to  the  library  and  just  leave  all  my  [stuff]  out  on  the  table  and  leave  .  .  .  and  go  to  the  bathroom  and  come  back,â€?  Ryan  said.  “But  if  I  have  my  laptop,  I  usually  pack  up  my  laptop  and  bring  it  with  me.  But  anything  else,  I’ll  leave  out,  which  is  probably  not  the  best  thing.â€? For  others,  the  thefts  are  an  alarm- ing  reminder  that  outsiders  can  come  on  campus  and  appear  as  a  student  while  taking  advantage  of  those  who  live  there. Bryant  explained  that  the  balance  EHWZHHQ IUHHGRP DQG VHFXULW\ LV GLIÂżFXOW
to  maintain  throughout  all  facets  of  society. “As  a  police  chief,  as  an  indi- vidual  responsible  for  the  safety  and  security  of  students,  faculty,  staff  and  visitors  in  the  geographical  area  of  this  campus,  I  would  love  to  see  razor  wire,  DUPHG JXDUGV PLQHÂżHOGV FDPHUDV HY- erywhere,â€?  said  Bryant.  “As  a  citizen,  I  do  not  want  to  live  that  way.â€? But  some,  like  Ryan,  refuse  to  let  the  incidents  affect  the  way  they  view  the  campus  and  the  community. “It’s  a  reality,  things  like  that  will  happen.  But  what  I  love  about  New  Paltz  is  that  I  don’t  think  the  majority  of  peo- ple  here  are  like  that  or  the  majority  of  community  members  are  like  that,â€?  said  Ryan.  “And  so,  it’s  something  I’m  cau- tious  of,  but  I  don’t  let  it  dictate  my  life  because  I  do  like  the  fact  that  it  feels  like  a  safe  place  here  and  it  feels  like  we’re  a  community.â€?
Thursday,  November  18,  2010
2009 Annual Security Report
SUNY  New  Paltz  On-ÂCampus  Property Burglary  Statistics:
2007: Â 13 2008: Â 10 2009: Â 12