By Ripon Media in College Days on August 29, 2016
By: Emily Janssen
The two men accused of the thefts that occurred in Scott Hall in March are facing multiple charges in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court.
On March 26 at 4:38 a.m., two young men — Dustin Duenkel, 18, and Hevane Richards, 19, — allegedly entered Scott Hall and stole various items and several hundred dollars cash from residents of Scott Hall.
According to the criminal complaints filed against them, Duenkel and Richards entered Scott Hall after a fire alarm had been set off.
The criminal complaints report that, “Duenkel admitted to stealing property not belong[ing] to him from one of the rooms, which included a ‘long board’, and taking it to another college dorm room where it was later recovered by law enforcement who were investigating the fire alarm that was pulled.”
Later, Duenkel allegedly admitted to stealing money and tennis shoes from several other rooms and named Richards as his accomplice.
Duenkel allegedly returned to Ripon College at 3 p.m. to retrieve money that Richards had hidden in a vent in Scott Hall. According to the criminal complaint, Police found Duenkel in Mapes Hall with several hundred dollars of stolen money and a pipe that he said that he used for marijuana.
According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website, Richards is charged with 12 counts of burglary and theft. Duenkel is charged with 14 counts of burglary, theft, criminal trespass and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Richards and Duenkel both made their initial appearances in the March 30, 2016. Both cases remain open. The bail bonds for Duenkel and Richards were paid on March 30th, and neither is allowed contact with Ripon College. The next hearing for Duenkel’s case is on July 15, while the next hearing for Richards’ case in on Aug. 1.
“It is very important for students to be vigilant on who they allow into the resident halls,” Ripon Police Captain Wallner said, “and if there is someone in the area they are not familiar with to call police, campus security, or alert an RA.”
Captain Wallner went on to say, “This case was quickly investigated and solved because of cooperation between the victims, other students on campus, Ripon College staff, and our officers. It is that type of commitment to working together, that can strengthen the security on campus and for Ripon College to continue to be a safe campus environment.”
