COLLEGE PARK, MD – Two men have been charged in connection with five residential burglaries reported last month at the University of Maryland, after campus police said tips from the university community helped investigators identify the suspects. The cases involve dorms and student housing on the College Park campus and include reports of missing property, suspicious activity, and late-night encounters with people students did not know.
Tyler Alexander Butler, 18, of Frederick, and Amir Christian Short, 19, of Mount Airy, were each charged by criminal summons with five counts of fourth-degree burglary, five counts of conspiracy to commit burglary and two counts of trespassing on posted property, according to the University of Maryland Police Department. Police said the charges came from incidents reported Aug. 30 at South Campus Commons No. 3 and Denton Hall.
Police linked the dorm reports after campus safety notice went out
University police first responded to South Campus Commons No. 3 to look into three reported residential burglaries. After that, the university issued a campus safety notice that included photographs of people investigators wanted to identify. Police then received numerous tips, along with two more burglary reports and one additional suspicious incident report.
Investigators concluded that the new information was tied to the same people seen in the photographs, police said. The department’s Criminal Investigations Unit identified Butler and Short as the suspects, and a detective applied for charges on Sept. 3. Police credited members of the campus community for helping move the case forward quickly.
Student at South Campus Commons No. 3 found water and missing property
One of the reported burglaries involved a student who said she left her third-floor residence at South Campus Commons No. 3 around 11 p.m. Aug. 29. When she returned about 4:30 a.m. the next day, she found water on the floor and discovered that some of her property was missing.
Officers received that report around 5:39 p.m. Aug. 30. Police did not say exactly what items were taken or how the water got into the room. But the report was part of the broader pattern that investigators later connected to the other incidents on campus.
Denton Hall students reported men at the door during the night
Police were called to the fifth floor of Denton Hall around 11:58 p.m. Aug. 30 after two students said they had an encounter while they were sleeping. According to police, one student woke up as the door was being opened and saw one man at the doorway and another in the hallway.
The man who opened the door tried to start a conversation before the student got up and shut it. In another Denton Hall incident, a student told police she heard loud, repeated knocking around 5 a.m. Aug. 30, opened the door, and saw two men who spoke briefly before leaving. University police said these reports were also tied to the same suspects.
University police say neither suspect is a UMD student or employee
A university spokesperson said neither Butler nor Short is a student at the University of Maryland, and neither works for the university. That detail adds to the concern for students living in residence halls and campus apartments, where police say the incidents were reported over a short stretch of time.
Police urged people on campus to stay alert, watch their surroundings, and report suspicious activity promptly. The department said community awareness and quick reporting played a key role in identifying the suspects after the safety notice was distributed.
What the charges mean in the campus burglary case
Both men were charged by criminal summons rather than immediately arrested, according to police. The charges include five counts of fourth-degree burglary, five counts of conspiracy to commit burglary, and two counts of trespassing on posted property for each suspect.
University police have not said whether more people may be involved. For now, investigators say the case centers on five reported burglaries and related suspicious incidents at South Campus Commons No. 3 and Denton Hall, with the campus community’s response helping identify the men police believe were responsible.
