Former DePaul employee charged with stealing laptops after being laid off

A former employee has been charged with stealing computer equipment after she was laid off from DePaul University.

A 41-year-old woman was charged with a felony count of burglary, according to a statement from Chicago police.

She was accused of using her ID card to enter DePaul’s campus sometime between July 16 and July 23 after the university laid her off, according to police. She then took several laptops and used them at her home.

Detectives used her IP address to determine the location of the laptops, police said. Investigators found the computers and took Lucas into custody after executing a search warrant at her Lincoln Park home.

She was expected to appear in court for a bail hearing on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for DePaul said the university was cooperating with police but declined to comment on the circumstances of her employment.

DePaul laid off 62 full- and part-time staff members in June.