BY TESSA SCHWARZ '17
Amherst College Police arrested a UMass Amherst student last week who allegedly stole underwear from a dormitory at Amherst College.
Ryan Joseph Chase, 22, was apprehended after police were called to Plimpton House at 2:45 a.m. on Sept. 6 on a report of an individual entering student rooms.
According to Amherst College’s website, Plimpton is a residence house in downtown Amherst. “As a senior house,” the website states, “its single rooms offer a secluded place for students who prefer the relative quiet afforded by being away from campus and close to town.”
Upon arriving at Plimpton, Amherst police officers discovered an individual, who gave chase, according to an Amherst College alert obtained by MassLive. “After a foot pursuit, police officers arrested a college-aged person unaffiliated with the College in the neighborhood just off campus.” Amherst police also assisted in the arrest, reports the Amherst Bulletin.
Chase’s Facebook profile states that he graduated in 2013 from Oliver Ames High School in North Easton, MA, and he is currently enrolled at UMass Amherst, according to the Amherst Bulletin. He has been charged with three counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, two charges of larceny from a building and one charge of trespassing, all related to the Plimpton House break-in.
According to the Amherst Bulletin, Chase’s future at UMass is now for the college’s dean of students to determine. “When notified by an area police department that one of our students is involved with a police matter, that information is forwarded to the dean of students, who looks at the specifics to determine how to proceed,” UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski told the Bulletin.
In addition to the charges related to the Plimpton break-in, Amherst police has also charged Chase with breaking and entering during the nighttime to commit a felony, related to an earlier 2:05 a.m. break-in at a South East Street residence. Amherst Police Detective Michael Forcum told the Bulletin that the homeowner woke up and escorted Chase from his home, after which Chase fled the scene.