A custodian accused of stealing wallets and other possessions from Carnegie Mellon University students was identified in part after using two stolen credit cards at a marijuana dispensary in Squirrel Hill, according to a criminal complaint.
He had also taken a wallet containing a tracking device that pinged to his home address, CMU police said in the court filing.
Carnegie Mellon University police said that Blaney Bentley Rhode, 29, of Duquesne was identified as the suspect in seven burglary cases between March 24 and March 31.
He was arrested Wednesday after a university police officer saw Rhode at a bus stop at Forbes and Morewood avenues. In the criminal complaint, police said Rhode admitted to the thefts and said he was struggling financially.
Rhode was described as a temporary custodian working with a third-party vendor contracted by the university. The vendor was not identified.
According to the complaint, Rhode is accused of taking wallets from CMU Fifth and Clyde Apartments on Fifth Avenue, CMU Alpha Epsilon Pi on Morewood Avenue, CMU Alpha Sigma Phi on Forbes Avenue, and CMU Mudge House on Morewood Avenue.
He is also accused of taking a smartwatch from CMU Morewood Gardens on Morewood Avenue and cash at CMU Alpha Sigma Phi.
Two students whose credit cards were taken noticed fraudulent transactions at The Dispensary on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill. One, from March 24, was for about $244. Rhode was seen on surveillance footage from the store, and his name was on the receipt, the complaint states.
No date was given for the second charge at The Dispensary on a card reported stolen on March 28. Several fraudulent charges totaling about $377 were from there, along with Dollar Tree, Roses, West Mifflin Tobacco, Cloud 9 Smoke Shop, Burger King, Speedway and Natural Eyebrows Threading, the complaint states.
A student who reported their wallet stolen on March 31 told police they received a notification from a credit card issuer about a fraudulent charge from a dollar store totaling about $407.
A wallet taken from Alpha Sigma Phi contained an Apple Air Tag, according to the complaint. The wallet was last pinging from Rhode’s address in Duquesne.
Rhode is charged seven felony counts of burglary, six misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking, and three counts of access device fraud.
He was arraigned Thursday and released on a nonmonetary bond, according to court records. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 20.