A series of burglaries that have occurred over the last two weeks on campus are being investigated by UW-Madison Police Department, according to a crime warning.
Two suspects are involved, one of which has been identified through surveillance footage as Malcolm C. Owens, a 19-year-old Madison resident. UWPD Director of Communications Marc Lovicott said they do not believe either individual has any affiliation with UW-Madison, but they are not certain.
Lovicott said the suspects have also burglarized places throughout Madison. He said the burglaries were “crimes of opportunity,” meaning the individuals targeted unlocked offices or homes. They have broken into several offices in administrative and academic buildings. Items such as cell phones and other electronics have been stolen, as well as credit cards. The suspects have attempted to use the stolen credit cards fraudulently, according to Lovicott.
He said the city of Madison is also investigating a number of cases involving the same individuals.
“Over the last few weeks we have been following up on leads and putting the pieces together, and we ultimately determined that all of these cases, if not all of them, are related and these same individuals are responsible for them,” Lovicott said.
He said investigators are hesitant to give out the exact number of cases involving the suspect.
Owens has a current warrant issued by the Department of Corrections for violating parole on a previous burglary case, according to the crime warning. The UW-Madison community is being asked to contact UWPD if they see either suspect or have information about the crimes.
