UTAH COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY The WSU Signpost - Laptop heist suspect in custodyLaptop heist suspect in custody

Brandon Murray
By NATALIE CLEMENS | editor in chief
October 27, 2004


On Feb. 26, 2004, Weber State University lost approximately $20,000 in assets from the Wattis Business Building when two men wearing baseball caps stole 10 computer laptops, one desktop workstation and a security camera.

On Nov. 9, WSU may have a chance to snatch some of the money back when Brandon Murray, a suspect in the crime, will be tried for second-degree theft.

WSU Detective Sgt. Mike Davies is credited for locating Murray with the help of other local agencies. During a metro detectives meeting, Davies shared the suspect information.

“The reason we have those meetings is to share that information among each other so that everybody’s looking for the same people,” Davies said.

Davies drafted a warrant against Murray stating that Murray was wanted for third-degree burglary and second-degree felony theft. He was picked up on that warrant in another jurisdiction. Davies said being able to work together gives police departments the upper hand.

“When we’re able to get inter-agency cooperation it happens a lot,” Davies said of solving cases like this.

WSU Police Capt. Dane LeBlanc said Davies would have solved the case much sooner but just as the facts were coming together in April, a student was allegedly abducted on campus and police efforts were focused on solving that case.

Murray was picked up in July and would not give up any information regarding his accomplice. He was charged with third-degree burglary and second-degree felony theft, but by pleading guilty to the second-degree felony, the other charge was dropped.

“Those kind of cases are extremely difficult and what I want everyone to know is how much work Davies put into solving this case,” LeBlanc said.

But the money may take years to restore.

“Part of it was the process of finding out who did it and whether or not we would be getting it back, and now that that is kind of coming to a conclusion, we still don’t know if we’re getting anything back,” said Shelly Belflower, for the business department. “We’ll eventually probably get reimbursed for it, but that’s not going to be the immediate response.”

Belflower said there would be an up-front cost the department will have to face to put the room back in working order.

The classroom, Room 120 of the Wattis Business Building, was used mainly by two professors — Belflower and Jeff Davis. After the crime occurred in February, the room was off limits for a few days during investigation.

“The other issue during that semester beyond that was now all of our security was in jeopardy, so we actually pulled all of the equipment out of the classroom that didn’t get stolen,” Belflower said.

That equipment has been in storage since. Belflower received permission to return the computers to the classroom a little over a week ago, but still hasn’t received any insurance so the department hasn’t been able to replace anything that was taken.

Davies said the main element of crime that the WSU community can control is opportunity. He said faculty and staff need to make sure criminals are not given more opportunities because doors are left unlocked, or open, providing easy access to valuable equipment.

The computer lab that was broken into had a keypad lock with a necessary code to access the room.

“So we think they were watching us or something and had to get it because we had four computers stolen in January — first time we’d ever had any — and then it was a month later and we’d changed the code in between,” Belflower said.

A new code system has been put in the keypad’s place in the form of a card that has a sensor inside.

Because the department has not been reimbursed from the campus insurance yet, it will have to pay the initial costs to replace the stolen equipment. The exact cost of the equipment is $19,949, which includes $15 for a ceiling tile that was damaged.

“I’m really a restitution person; I think that people should feel responsible for what they do, and I think he should pay, but I don’t think that the school of business should wait or depend on that happening,” Belflower said. “It should be him being accountable for it and paying the restitution back, but I think the campus has to move on, and the school of business has to move on and just get the equipment and be able to teach students in the manner that instructors need to teach them.”

You can reach reporter Natalie Clemens by calling 626-7121.