A former Ohio University resident assistant awaits a Monday pretrial after being accused of stealing personal belongings from students’ dorms, sparking questions of similar cases.
OU police arrested David Felt, 20, Feb. 28 in Washington Hall, where he was an RA. He is being charged with two counts of burglary after he allegedly sneaked into rooms and stole personal belongings while students were sleeping.
Alcohol was involved at the time of the incident, according to an Ohio University Police Department police report, but Felt was not charged with underage drinking.
Attempting to ease concerns about RAs entering students’ rooms, Peter Trentacotse, executive director of Residential Housing, said incidents like the one with Felt are not common.
“Since I started at Ohio University on July 1, 2012... I am only aware of one instance where an RA was accused of theft, and on average we (have) 250 RAs (total, per year),” Trentacotse said.
The total number of RAs employed at a given time could range from around 250 to 300.
Even if there were numerous cases on record, each individual student is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal policy meant to protect the information students are obliged to give to universities.
Therefore, the university cannot disclose specific information about each incident, said OU spokeswoman Katie Quaranta. She also said — because of FERPA — the university cannot release the reason that Felt is no longer an RA.
Trentacotse said that the university holds staff — student and professional — to high standards, and that if a staff member, such as an RA, is suspected of misconduct, one of his or her superiors is to investigate.
“Behaviors investigated may violate the code of conduct, departmental or position expectations, the law or all of the above,” he said in an email. “Any time a potential violation of law is suspected, we notify OUPD, who will press charges if appropriate.”
OU Police Chief Andrew Powers could not be reached for comment by press time.
Felt pleaded not guilty May 1 of removing items from dorm rooms without permission. Athens County Common Pleas Court Judge L. Alan Goldsberry released Felt, who has not been incarcerated since entering the plea.
Because burglary is a felony of the third degree, he could face up to three years in prison, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
After the Monday pretrial, Felt will stand before a jury Oct. 17.
kf98711@ohiou.edu
@KellyPFisher
