Crasher Caught Playing Pool

As students struggled to cram for their finals on Monday night, a former Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) employee was arrested in Adams House for trespassing and breaking and entering, according to an e-mail sent by Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) sergeant William McNamara.

According to HUPD spokesman Steven G. Catalano, officers were dispatched to Adams on a report of suspicious behavior. When they arrived, they located an individual playing pool with two students in the basement of Adams.

After an investigation, HUPD officers arrested the man, identified as James Ruma, a resident of Medford, Mass. who formerly worked in the Eliot and Kirkland dining halls.

According to the e-mail sent by McNamara, which was forwarded to Adams House residents, Ruma said that he was in Adams “for old time sake and was looking for a place to have a beer.”

The arrest comes as the most recent in a series of “piggybacking”-related incidents this year, including an attempted robbery in Kirkland House in February and a trespasser in the Malkin Athletic Center who was also charged with assault and battery of a police officer. Earlier this month, an intruder in Quincy House was found to be a convicted rapist who had been arrested for breaking into Mather House in October 2005.

Despite the instances of piggybacking crimes, Adams resident Emily D. Ponahue ’09 said that she still feels safe living in the house.

“I usually don’t let people I don’t know follow me into the dorm, so this incident doesn’t change my behavior,” Ponahue said.

HUDS Director for Marketing and Communications Crista Martin could not be reached for comment last night.

—Staff writer Nan Ni can be reached at nni@fas.harvard.edu.