On Monday, campus police received reports of two separate burglaries — one worth $1,000 and the other undisclosed — as well as a report of a threatening letter sent to Sproul Hall.
The first burglary was reported Monday morning by a UC Berkeley student who discovered a laptop to be missing from her office on the first floor of LeConte Hall, according to UCPD spokesperson Sgt. Sabrina Reich. No suspect has yet been identified, Reich said.
According to Reich, the victim’s office had been easily accessible to the perpetrator through an open window. There were no other damages or items stolen other than the laptop, valued at $1,000.
Later the same day, at 11:18 p.m., campus police were alerted to a report of a person roaming through and allegedly stealing items in Mulford Hall, according to Reich. The police subsequently arrested 38-year-old Martha Longsworth — who is unaffiliated with the campus — on suspicion of burglary, Reich said.
“The type of crime we see the most on campus (concerns) unattended property,” Reich said. “It’s completely open throughout the day so folks could come and go.”
The stolen items from Mulford Hall have since been recovered, including postal mail and a lab coat, according to Reich. According to a previous UCPD bulletin, Longsworth was cited earlier this year for allegedly trespassing in Cloyne Court in June, resulting in a ban from UC property for seven days. She was eventually transported to custody in Santa Rita Jail.
Also on Monday, a letter had been delivered to Sproul Hall entailing a bomb threat, Reich said in an email. The threat, however, was considered to be noncredible, according to Reich.
Reich said that last November, UCPD had observed an overall decrease in property and bike theft on campus between 2014 and 2015.
“Berkeley and the campus, for the most part, is a very safe community,” Reich said.