Hearing to be held in February

Gregory Richmond, one of the suspects arrested on Nov. 30, 2011 for the Biola MacBook thefts, has been sentenced to one and a half years in prison, according to Campus Safety chief John Ojeisekhoba. Richmond accepted a plea deal and will also serve three years of probation. The female Biola student, who was also arrested for accusations of theft, has not yet faced a trial. She will have a hearing on Feb. 16 to determine the next steps of the case.

These two are suspected of being responsible for most of the laptop thefts over the fall semester. The laptops were not recovered because they were sold. An investigation into the thefts first opened in early October, and the arrests were made in late November. Though the couple has been apprehended, however, does not mean that theft will stop. There will always be other people who will try to take advantage of Biola students.

Ojeisekhoba asks for student cooperation

“We’re very aggressive [toward crime], and we’re not sorry for one minute,” Ojeisekhoba said. “However, the truth is that we can’t apprehend every criminal. Many people ask why these criminals keep coming [to Biola], and it’s because the students believe their campus is safe. [The criminals] blend in, and students just leave their stuff unattended.”

During 2011, there were 70 cases of theft on Biola’s campus, 25 of which included stolen laptops. Ninety percent of the thefts were due to possessions left unattended, and 403 suspicious persons were deterred or intercepted by Campus Safety. On Feb. 6, Ojeisekhoba sent out a letter to the students suggesting ways to keep their belongings safe.

“Campus Safety needs the students’ cooperation and for them to take responsibility [for their property],” Ojeisekhoba said. “We can only do so much.”