RUPD identifies suspect in Coffeehouse theft

By Anna Ta     2/14/17 7:40pm

Coffeehouse’s petty cash was stolen from their safe the morning of Jan. 25, after a man unaffiliated with Rice University came into their unlocked back room. Security cameras enabled Coffeehouse employees to get a picture of the perpetrator and give all information to RUPD.

According to Clemente Rodriguez, the patrol operations captain for RUPD, they have identified the suspect. The police department has filed felony theft charges with the Harris County District Attorney’s office and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Coffeehouse General Manager Mandy Weaver said RUPD responded quickly and diligently.

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“I will say that this crime brought to light an area where Coffeehouse needed to think about safety and security in more depth,” Weaver, a Martel senior, said. “We worked with our advisor and members of the Student Center Administration to remedy the unlocked door to our back room.”

According to Weaver, Coffeehouse has purchased a keypad lock for the back room door and will be installing it within the week.

“Every semester instances and situations come up that make us reevaluate our policies and procedures,” Weaver said. “We are constantly changing to better serve our customers, be it through faster drink service, more secure credit card processing, eliminating waste or updated POS systems.”

Will Rice Freshman James Suffoletta said that he found the theft surprising.

“It is an unfortunate event that undermines the trust that Coffeehouse has with the public,” Suffoletta said.

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