Elon University police arrested a man Friday morning after receiving reports
that laptop computers had disappeared from several academic buildings.
Campus Safety and Police Chief Chuck Gantos credits three campus-wide
e-mails and the observations of a faculty member for the quick arrest. The
man in custody fits the description of a person seen in the buildings where
the thefts took place.
Police were called to investigate a stolen book bag about 9:40 a.m. At
10:30, another call came in, this time from the School of Communications. A
laptop from the McEwen building had been stolen from a faculty member’s
office.
Fifteen minutes after that, someone in the McMichael Science Center reported
a second laptop stolen, but this time, police got a description of a
suspect. Campus police broadcast an e-mail to all faculty/staff at 11:03
a.m. with a description of a suspect and a phone number to call should
anyone see him.
Within minutes, Janet MacFall, associate professor of biology, contacted the department,
giving police the description of a suspicious man she saw in one of the academic buildings.
Campus police soon arrived at Holland House on Haggard Avenue and arrested the man. The stolen property was also recovered.
“Quick reporting of the crime, alert observation by faculty member Janet
MacFall, and responses to our e-mail helped us successfully apprehend our
suspect,” Gantos said.
Elon University Police charged Ishmael Hakeem Abdul Jabbar, 36, of
Goldsboro, N.C., with four counts of breaking and entering, and four counts
of larceny. Investigators allege Jabbar stole not only from McEwen and
McMichael, but also the Gray Pavilion in the Academic Village and Alamance
building.
The university-owned laptops were returned to the employees who fell victim
to the crime.