Carnegie Mellon University employee charged in thefts www.privateofficer.com

 

Pittsburgh PA Jan 8 2012 A man who works on the Carnegie Mellon University campus was arrested Friday after police said he stole more than $25,000 worth of precious metals, wires and other materials from two campus buildings.

John Szalajda, 38, of Glenshaw, is an employee of an independent contractor for janitorial services, ISS. He told campus police that he found a set of master keys in a parking lot outside of Roberts Hall on campus several months ago. He then used those keys to open a professor’s office, where he found the keys to some cabinets containing precious metals, according to a criminal complaint filed in court.

Mr. Szalajda told police he stole materials from four floors in Wean Hall and two floors in Roberts Hall, both of which house the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

After cross-referencing his story with theft reports, police charged him with stealing from the university and its students on 10 different days, sometimes stealing multiple items in one day.

Mr. Szalajda was expected to be arraigned early this morning on 13 counts of burglary and 13 counts of theft.

Source:www.post-gazette.com