Purdue News

February 4, 2003 Purdue police arrest man in theft of $51,000 in computer equipment WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University police today (Tuesday, 2/4) arrested a former student for allegedly stealing more than $51,000 in computer equipment. Chad E. Bushue, 29, of rural Kingman, Ind., was taken to the Tippecanoe County Jail on charges of burglary and theft. Police have recovered about $41,000 worth of computer support equipment that Bushue allegedly stole in June 2001 from a computer lab in the Mechanical Engineering Building. The equipment included power supplies, generators and oscilloscopes. Police said Bushue confessed to that theft after admitting to taking four flat-screen computer monitors, valued at $10,100, on Dec. 14 from a computer lab in the same building. He handed over the monitors to Purdue police on Jan. 24 at the Attica Police Department. Bushue was taken to Tippecanoe County Jail after being arrested at his Kingman house at 10:30 a.m. today. His bail was set at $25,000. Ron Fosnaugh, Purdue police captain of special services, said investigators came to suspect Bushue because he had access to both rooms, having earlier worked in the labs. Police from the Covington and Attica city police departments and Fountain County Sheriff's Department assisted in the investigation. Bushue was a junior in materials engineering at Purdue at the time of the thefts and was enrolled until the end of the fall semester. Burglary is a Class C felony, punishable by two to eight years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Theft is a Class D felony, subject to six months to three years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Writer: Jeanne Norberg, (765) 494-2096, (765) 449-4987 (home), jnorberg@purdue.edu Source: Ron Fosnaugh, (765) 494-8221, rjfosnaugh@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page