Man Charged with Burglary of Computer Equipment at BSU

52-year-old Darren Joseph Sayers of Bemidji has been charged with 3rd-degree burglary connected to iPad computers going missing on Bemidji State University’s campus.

According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement was contacted by BSU Security Director Casey McCarthy due to a report that several iPad computers were taken from some of the offices on the Beltrami County Campus.

Director McCarthy located a suspect on surveillance footage that showed the suspect enter the building at approximately 2:00 PM on October 23, 2020 with a backpack. The suspect left the building shortly thereafter with the backpack bulging.

Officer Otness reviewed a still of the suspect from the video and believed it to be Darren Sayers. Officer Otness responded to BSU and reviewed the footage. Officer Otness positively identified Sayers in the video due to a distinct shuffle in Sayers’ gait.

On November 1, 2020, Officer Mestemacher located Sayers walking along the 500 block of Minnesota Avenue. Officer Otness asked Sayers about the stolen computers. Sayers initially denied knowing about the computers taken from BSU. However, after Officer Otness confronted Sayers with the existence of
surveillance footage, Sayers indicated the computers were stolen from him.