Allentown Man Accused of Multiple Thefts at Lehigh

An Allentown man is accused of sneaking around the campus to look for opportunities to steal unattended laptop computers, cell phones, wallets and other items, according to court records.

Lehigh University police allege Robert Andrew Douglas, 49, stole cash and a variety of items worth more than $3,000. Most of the thefts occurred between March 29 and May 3, though one of the thefts Douglas is charged with dates back to June 2009.

Thefts referenced in the affidavit of probable cause against Douglas include a laptop taken from an office in Sinclair Lab; a wallet from an office at Whitaker Lab; a set of keys from Christmas-Saucon Hall; another laptop and an i-Phone from Linderman Library; an i-Pod from Martindale Library; and a wallet and cell phone from Packard Lab.

GPS tracking on one of the stolen cell phones ultimately led police to Douglas, who was at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, where he had been taken for chest pain, the affidavit says.

In an interview at the hospital, Douglas told police that he would take a bag and walk around the Lehigh campus trying to blend in and look around for property that had been left behind, the court papers say. Douglas told police he would take the items to a pawnshop in Allentown where he would sell them for cash to pay for the room where he had been staying.

The affidavit said Douglas admitted that he would flee the campus at times when he believed he was being watched because he knew he did not belong inside the buildings.

Douglas, whose listed address is 608 Hamilton St., Allentown, was charged with eight felony counts of criminal trespassing; eight misdemeanor counts of theft; and seven misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property.

Douglas was arraigned Friday before and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail.