Two students who had money stolen by a Bowdoin employee in Coles Tower have been reimbursed by the College. Currently, they do not plan to press charges.
David Soohoo '08 and roommate Cody Wyant '08 had a total of $340 and $100, respectively, stolen from their rooms in a series of incidents that began last month.
Soohoo told the Orient last week that he discovered a housekeeper had been stealing from his wallet when he caught the employee on a motion-activated camera.
The employee, who also admitted to the previous acts of theft, was subsequently fired.
Though Soohoo and Wyant have been reimbursed for their losses, the College?and not the former employee?has returned the money to them.
Associate Director of Facilities Operations Jeff Tuttle explained that the College decided to reimburse the students because of the "timeliness of it."
"We just felt this would take a while [if the employee was forced to pay back what he owed the students]. We decided to show some good faith and some good will," said Tuttle.
Soohoo, who received restitution last Friday, wrote in an e-mail to the Orient that reimbursement "was in the works immediately after I had it reported" last Monday.
He added that, "the College took it on their own to right a wrong, which I believe was really not theirs, and reimburse me out of its own pocket for the time being."
Tuttle expected the former employee to pay back the College.
"He was very firm about paying back the money he owed," Tuttle said.
Though Soohoo and Wyant could press criminal charges, it is unlikely that they will do so. Since the thefts of the employee total less than $5,000, Soohoo explained that the employee could not be charged with a felony.
"The effort needed to merely blemish this guy's record is not currently something I'm actively pursuing," Soohoo wrote.
He also stressed that the College did not try to persuade or dissuade him from filing criminal charges.
"I can't emphasize enough that the College did not persuade me not to take legal action. They in fact warned me of all possible lines I may walk in doing so and even offered me to help with the process."
Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols said he believes that the former employee was involved in at least one other theft on campus.
In December, Michaela Wallin '08 had about $60 stolen from her while she was staying with a friend in the Tower after a semester abroad.
"It was stolen out of the common room overnight or in the morning when I was in the apartment or in the bedroom," she wrote in an e-mail.
Wallin was hesitant to report the theft, but did so at the behest of her friends who lived in the room.
She said that Nichols called her to report that the case had been "cracked," and that she would be reimbursed.
In addition to the case involving Wallin, Nichols is "interested in pursuing a couple other incidents" that may be related to the employee who was recently fired.
Tuttle expressed his optimism that the thefts would be recognized by the student body as isolated, and that the community would continue to trust housekeepers.
Despite preventive measures like pre-employment screenings or background checks, Tuttle said members of the community must realize that "there are certain acts of randomness you can't prevent."