PD: City Man Caught Selling Stolen Wesleyan Laptop on Craigslist

A 23-year-old city man charged with stealing a laptop from Wesleyan University was advertising it and many others in a Craigslist ad, police say. Christopher Aresco, 23, of Aresco Drive, was discovered with five other Macbooks, according to who have been investigating a recent rash of student computer thefts.

On Oct. 17, police set up a meeting at McDonald's on Washington Street with a person who advertised a number of laptop computers on Craigslist for sale, which they suspected were stolen, the report says.

They fit the description of laptops stolen from Wesleyan University, including a 15-inch Macbook Pro. On Oct. 19 at 10:40 a.m., the report says, an officer met Christopher Aresco, 23, of Aresco Drive, to purchase the item for $1,150 at McDonald's, where he was arrested after the serial numbers matched the computer taken from the Freeman Athletic Center on Cross Street.

Aresco asked to be taken outside so people couldn't see him, the report indicates. Officers seized a 17-inch Macbook Pro, which Aresco insisted was his.

At the station, Aresco admitted, "he buys and sells electronics as a hobby," the report says, mostly sold cell phones, and his "real job" is in Hartford at Aetna. After officers searched his bedroom, they found five more laptops that matched the description of those stolen from Wesleyan, which Aresco told police he bought from a person, "and didn't feel good about these," the report indicates.

The victim told officers on Oct. 30 that the laptop was stolen from the athletic center on Sept. 20.

Investigations are ongoing for the other five laptops, the report indicates, and arrest warrants will be applied for.

He was charged with fourth-degree larceny, released on an $1,150 non-surety bond and is due back in court on Nov. 2.

According to a story in the student newspaper, the Wesleyan Argus, Laptop Thefts Plague Hewitt, "several new laptop thefts occurred, including five thefts on Friday, Oct. 8 from the Hewitt dormitories. According to Director of Public Safety (PSafe) Dave Meyer, every room in Hewitt that was burglarized was left unlocked by the student. Additionally, he said that the other affected residences on campus also had either windows or doors left open."