A small room in the MSU police building is made smaller and smaller as detectives move in and out like ants piling up stolen items on a table and chairs.
The items, ranging from laptops to projectors, are evidence from an investigation involving multiple breaking and entering robberies in which East Lansing resident Yaaseen Jabraan Albert allegedly committed on campus since 2003.
"Most of it came from pawn shops all over the state: Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Detroit," MSU police Detective Steve Beard said.
Beard headed up the investigation, and was familiar with Albert because he arrested him in 2000, the first time the 26-year-old was arrested for a breaking and entering felony in Ingham County.
Because of the previous charge, prosecutors are asking Albert be tried as a habitual offender - which would allow the state to increase his punishment to life in prison, Ingham County Chief Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III said.
His district court preliminary examination was waived by assistant prosecutor Angela Lloyd on June 23, and the case was immediately sent to the Ingham County Circuit Court level. Albert's arraignment is Wednesday at the Veterans Memorial Courthouse in Lansing.
"We're investigating 55 burglaries and at least $80,000 worth of stolen goods," Beard said.
Beard added Albert was committing the robberies purely to make money, and was stealing the expensive items from easily accessible buildings. The charges include robberies at Erickson, Berkey and Fee Halls.
Aiding Beard in the case was detective Debra Buffmeyer, who alerted the other officers of the pattern of robberies.
"This was a great piece of cooperation work by people in the department," Inspector Bill Wardwell said. Wardwell is the head of the detectives bureau at MSU Department of Police and Public Safety.
Albert was arrested June 14 at the Union after MSU police Officer Heather Stefan recognized him as the suspect university police had been searching for in accordance to several campus robberies.
Albert was charged that day with three counts of breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny in the 54-B District Court in East Lansing.
