Lesli Marchese, Campus Carrier News Editor
On March 14, two Berry students were arrested for a burglary on campus. Freshman Zachary Nathanial Brown was charged with first-degree burglary, theft by taking and possession of tools for the commission of a crime. Freshman Anna Marie Chadwick was charged with theft by taking and for being party to a crime.
According to the Berry College Police report, Brown was charged with two misdemeanors for the minor thefts and a felony charge, for non-forced entry into a residence hall, resulting in a burglary.
The report states that Brown stole a key from a room in Dana and used it to gain access to the room the key’s owner had previously lived in. Upon gaining entry to the room using the stolen key, Brown stole a gold colored ring valued by the report at $5. According to Chadwick, in the report, Brown asked her to be the “lookout” while he went inside the room, but she stayed in her own room while the theft took place.
The report states that Brown told a friend that Chadwick had approached him and told him that she had stolen a key “with the intentions of going … to commit a theft.” However, when questioned, she denied any knowledge of the missing key to patrol officer Kim Stratton.
Chadwick then told her side of the story to Stratton, who then questioned the victims. However, when Stratton spoke to the owner of the key and the owner of ring, neither student had noticed anything missing or out of place.
Stratton spoke to Brown again after Chadwick’s statement, and he denied any involvement with the theft of the key or ring.
A day later, he brought the ring to the Welcome Center, stating that he had “found” the ring on his desk, and wanted to turn it in.
Brown and Chadwick were taken to the Floyd County Jail on March 14, without bond. Berry administration will also take disciplinary action.
Dean of students Debbie Heida said she cannot release information about administrative decisions regarding the students due to restrictions by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Heida said that the way the room was broken into posed a serious potential threat to the safety of others.
“It is a safety issue,” Heida said. “We take theft seriously, but we take behaviors that endanger others even more seriously.”
The Viking Code states that a Level III offense, under which minor theft falls, has possible sanctions such as probation, a fine of $80-$200, a residence hall transfer and parental notification.
However, due to the way the room was broken into, with a stolen key from the room of a friend, it is possible that Brown’s offense would be considered a Level V infraction. This can include “any offense … that indicates that the student is a threat to the College community and/or him/herself” and can result in disciplinary dismissal, suspension, and/or parental notification.