This is an update of a previously reported story available here.
A woman who broke into several gym lockers and at least two faculty offices was wrestled to the ground by a biology instructor whom the intruder had pepper sprayed.
Campus police arrested Mary Carter, 39, and charged her with five criminal counts related to a series of campus break-ins that culminated when she was detained by biology instructor Nira Clark. Carter is charged with two felonies and three misdemeanors, including robbery, burglary, possession of burglary tools and assault on a school employee, according to the San Diego County Sheriffs.
Carter pepper sprayed Clark when the instructor returned to her office after class, according to Campus Police Sergeant Robert Sanchez. Clark said she was startled to see someone in her office.
“I came to my office and I saw someone move across the windowed door,” she said. “As I saw someone move, I wondered who it was.”
Clark said she thought she must have left her door open. She said it did not occur to her right away that the person was a burglar. Clark said when she entered her office she noticed someone hiding in her closet behind a curtain.
“I told her ‘you might as well come out, I can see you,’” she said. “And I didn’t really know what was going on, but I didn’t think of anything bad.”
Clark said Carter came out saying, “Surprise!” asking Clark if she remembered who she was.
“Then I noticed one of my hairclips on the floor,” she said. “It was a hairclip I used all the time and I always keep it in my purse. It wasn’t until then that I realized something’s wrong, someone has been in my purse.”
Clark demanded her things from Carter and immediately dialed the police. She managed to explain a few things to the police when Carter said she had more of Clark’s possessions. Clark turned her attention to Carter who then pepper sprayed her.
Clark fought through the pepper spray and restrained the intruder while a passerby summoned police. Clark was burned by the pepper spray, Sanchez said, but not seriously injured.
Sanchez said Carter forced her way into several lockers in the women’s locker room near the gym before burglarizing at least two faculty offices. Dr. Sylvia Garcia-Navarrete’s office was also burgled, said Sanchez.
Garcia-Navarrete said Clark “was one tough cookie.”
“The thief pepper sprayed Nira,” she said, “but that didn’t stop Nira from putting her in a headlock.”
Garcia-Navarrete said campus employees were shaken up, but relieved that no one was seriously injured.
“I’m glad the lady didn’t get away with our stuff,” she said. “My things were taken when I was teaching during the 11 o’clock hour. My door was found open by our instructional assistant before noon, but I didn’t realize my things were gone until I got the call from the police officer.”
Sanchez said the episode demonstrates that the college may have to increase security for professors’ offices. Metal shields known as hasps were in the past installed on some office doors in front of the lock mechanism, he said, but most have been removed.
“Our recommendation would be to install those on all of the doors,” he said. “That’s a perfect reason why something like that needs to be in place, to prevent somebody from using a screwdriver to gain entry into an office.”
Public Information Officer Lillian Leopold said the incident is a reminder that students and college employees need to be vigilant and report suspicious activities to campus police.
