Story and photo by Jenna Arnold, Editor-in-Chief.

A Valdosta man was arrested after Valdosta Police connected him to a series of room break-ins in Lowndes Hall.  

Twenty-year-old Ricardo Neloms of Valdosta was arrested on April 16 after he was accused of multiple unlawful residential break-ins.  

According to the Valdosta State University Police Department report, the first account was recorded on April 15 at 4 a.m., where a suspicious male entered a room without permission. The individual claimed to be “the help” and stated he was looking for money. The student had asked the person to leave the room multiple times, but he persisted. He then got annoyed and left the room. 

 The VSUPD responded to the incident 10 hours later at 2:20 p.m.  

Later that day, VSUPD received another complaint at 5:50 p.m. of unlawful entry when the student was not present.  

The next day, a parent reached out to the VSUPD to report another incident of a male entering their daughter’s bedroom during the early morning hours of April 14 while she was asleep.  

The VSUPD suspected that all incidents were related and issued a campus-wide emergency notification on April 16 in compliance with the Clery Act. The act is federal law and requires higher-education institutions to disclose information regarding certain crimes that occur on campus. 

The email described the suspect and urged students to lock their doors, report any suspicious activity, not open residence hall doors for strangers and not allow others to follow them into secure buildings.  

After the alert was sent out, an off-duty VSUPD officer recognized the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant for Neloms. 

 Neloms was later seen near the MegaMart on North Lee Street by VPD officers. He was also charged with obstructing law enforcement officers after a brief struggle. 

Christian Odom, a sophomore business major, is a resident in Lowndes Hall and has concerns with people entering her dorm hall who do not live there.  

“There are a lot of people just coming in and out without even seeing if they live in Lowndes,” Odom said. “They put in rules and stuff, but I don’t think they’re actually enforced. I’ve seen a lot of RAs (resident advisors) just opening the door for people that I don’t even know who they are.” 

Amiya Armstrong, a sophomore nursing major, also lives in Lowndes and shared equal concerns with Odom.  

“I was surprised, but I also wasn’t shocked,” Armstrong said. “It’s crazy and then of course it raises the question, are we safe? It shouldn’t have been that easy for somebody to get into the building.” 

Armstrong would feel more comfortable if an RA were present around the clock. 

“I feel like it could be better because even with the situation that happened, we still don’t have an RA at our desk,” she said. “I’ve been to other colleges, just touring and visiting, and they constantly have somebody at that desk.” 

The investigation remains ongoing and the VSUPD requests that anyone who has information regarding the case contact the department phone number (229) 333-7816.