University Police this summer arrested two men in connection with a string of South Campus Commons burglaries spanning four months that police believe netted about $26,000 in stolen items from students.

The most common items stolen were laptops and iPods, police said, and many items were hocked for cash at a College Park electronics store just steps away from the Commons.

Police charged Aaron Michael Berry, 23, of Lawnside, N.J.; and Trevan Gary Lyn, 19, of Hyattsville, with a combined 11 counts of first degree burglary. University Police spokeswoman Maj. Cathy Atwell said investigators believe the men knew each other, but it is unclear whether they worked together on the alleged crimes.

University Police detective Sgt. James Goldsmith broke the case as he perused the CD/Game Exchange located just east of Commons Building 3. When he identified a Sony PlayStation 2 as a game system reported stolen by a Commons resident, Atwell said store owner Sam Lock provided a receipt that showed Berry had sold the system the same day it was reported stolen.

Goldsmith then began checking through additional store records and discovered Lyn was also associated with items sold to the store.

Goldsmith also connected Lyn with stolen items found at the store after further investigation.

Under Maryland law, pawn shops are required to keep records of who sells the items, Atwell said, but gaming stores are not. Store manager Lauren Becker said the store had always voluntarily tracked who sold electronic items to the store, however.

Because of the number of burglaries and the possibility of more items being sold to the store, Prince George’s County Police now require the store to keep records of what items are sold to the store and who sold them, Atwell said, and Becker confirmed the store’s policies have become stricter over the summer.

Some people have chosen not to sell to the store because of the strict policies, Becker added.

Of the $26,810 worth of items stolen, police have recovered $13,100, Atwell said. In one case, some laptops were recovered from a student who didn’t know they had been stolen. She said anyone who bought something from either of the accused men must turn it into police or possibly face punishment themselves.

Berry, who was indicted on three counts of burglary on July 27, is not affiliated with the university, nor is Lyn, but police believe they were staying with students living in the Commons. Atwell added that all the apartments burglarized were left unlocked.

Police did not send out a university-wide crime alert e-mail notifying students of the burglaries, because by the time police noticed the spike in burglaries it was already summer, Atwell said. Some students didn’t even know their electronics were missing until returned by police.

“It has to go on for a while before you realize something’s happening,” Atwell said.

Contact reporter Will Skowronski at skowronskidbk@gmail.com.