PRINCETON: Contractor arrested in university thefts

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
   A contractor working at Princeton University allegedly stole jewelry and other items from student dormitories when he was supposed to be installing a new keyless lock system.
   Campus police arrested Ian Thomas Holthenrichs, 23, of Pipersville, Pa., on July 24 and charged him with theft and possession of suspected heroin, authorities said Thursday. Holthenrichs was working for Hogan Security Group, a Pennington-based firm that was installing the system that the university plans to have in place before the upcoming school year.
   University authorities said jewelry, watches and other items were reported stolen from 1903 and Cuyler halls, two student housing buildings that are used in the summer by Princeton students and participants in conferences and summer programs.
   When he was arrested last week, Holthenrichs allegedly had jewelry and women’s underwear in his possession, the university has alleged. Most of the stolen items have been recovered, the university said.
   Local law enforcement will look into the matter. Borough police Lt. Sharon Papp said Thursday that the police detective unit will investigate to determine where the stolen goods came from and what else Holthenrichs might have been involved in.In response to the incident, the university reexamined its procedures.
   ”University employees usually accompany contractors and we have made changes to ensure that when the work involves individual contractors at different locations or on separate floors, each person or crew will be accompanied by a university employee,” said university spokesman Martin A. Mbugua in an email Thursday.
   Daniel Hogan, company president, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Holtenrichs had been working for the company as a temporary employee for the past six weeks, but is no longer employed by Hogan, according to the university.