Troy University Police have arrested a transient who confessed to stealing an estimated $23,000 worth of equipment from the university’s Stadium Tower fifth-floor offices in late September.

A 22-year-old white male from Taylor was taken into custody Wednesday morning after police received an anonymous tip relaying the suspect’s name and location, according to Troy University Police Chief John McCall.

The man’s name is being withheld while the Troy Police Department looks into whether or not he may be involved with other area crimes. He is currently charged with third-degree burglary and first-degree theft of property, McCall said.

The suspect was a transient who stayed in Troy a few days.

“He looked like any other college student,” McCall said. “If he had been a 45-year-old man hanging around campus, that would have tipped us off that something wasn’t right. But he just fit right in to the mold of a college student.

The anonymous caller told police that the suspect had pawned some of the equipment in Tuscaloosa. Police tried to corroborate the witness’ statement in order to make an arrest, but ended up taking the suspect into custody on warrants out of Tuscaloosa.

“When we asked about the university property, he admitted it. He wanted to get it off his chest and he told us everything,” McCall said.

The suspect took laptops, video cameras, mixer boards and web streaming equipment. Some personal items of a university employee were also stolen.

“We are thinking we’ll get a couple of the items back, but the rest will be unrecoverable,” McCall said.

Right now, no property has been recovered. The suspect is being held in the Pike County Jail.