UC Berkeley PhD student facing felony charges over $46K in intentional damage

A UC Berkeley Ph.D. candidate faces three felony vandalism charges after allegedly damaging tens of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment to sabotage another student. A professor reported damage to university police on Nov. 11 and alleged a 26-year-old student deliberately damaged university equipment and another student's personal computer at Cory Hall. The personal computer damage totaled at least $2,119, while total damage reached approximately $46,855. Police say the damage allegedly occurred over a two-year period and that a secret camera allegedly captured the suspect placing a device that caused sparks in the victim's computer. The suspect was arrested, booked, bailed out, and is scheduled for arraignment; the investigation remains ongoing and police request information from anyone with knowledge.

"A UC Berkeley Ph.D. candidate faces three felony charges after allegedly damaging tens of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment to sabotage another student, reports say. A university professor first reported the damage on Nov. 11 at 9:27 a.m., the University of California Police Department told SFGATE in a statement. The professor alleged that a 26-year-old student deliberately damaged university equipment and another person's personal computer at Cory Hall. (Corey Hall houses the Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences Department.)"

"The personal computer damage amounted to at least $2,119, but the total damage was approximately $46,855, police said. Kevin Vincent, a sergeant at the police department, told SFGATE that the student is accused of damaging the equipment over a two-year period. Janet Gilmore, a spokesperson for UC Berkeley, confirmed to SFGATE that the suspect is a graduate student at the university."

Read at SFGATE