By Scott Gordon
The Daily Northwestern
SKOKIE–Former Northwestern basketball player Brandon Lee appeared in court Sept. 6, represented by a public defender, on charges of burglary and credit-card fraud.
University Police arrested Lee, 19, a former McCormick freshman on Aug. 1 in Peoria, Ill., is hometown.
University officials announced that Lee will no longer play for the NU basketball team without specifying a reason.
He was suspended from the team twice in 2005, once in January and once in February, for unspecified violations of team rules. The 5-foot-11 guard averaged 1.6 points and 7.9 minutes per game.
Police think he and Jessica L. McElroy, 20, stole electronics and credit cards from Foster-Walker Complex on several occasions in July and used the credit cards to make online purchases, said Al Cubbage, vice president for university relations.
Those purchases were sent to McElroy’s apartment, where police arrested her July 26. UP and Peoria police arrested Lee after McElroy said he was her accomplice, Cubbage said.
McElroy, formerly a Medill sophomore, was not registered for Spring or Fall Quarter classes, Cubbage said. He said Lee is not registered for Fall Quarter classes.
Despite the dorm security breach, students said they still felt they and their belongings are safe on campus.
“I don’t feel at risk, but no one feels at risk until it happens to them,” said Medill sophomore Modesta Zapata.
Zapata, a Foster-Walker resident, said she doesn’t have concerns but can understand how it would be easy to abuse the communal living system.
“(NU) does all it can, but there are always people who will take advantage,” Zapata said.
Lee and McElroy first appeared in Cook County Circuit Court in Skokie Aug. 10.
Both are out on bail and will appear again Sept. 27.
Lee would not comment.
The DAILY’s Laura Olson contributed to this report.
Reach Scott Gordon at [email protected].
