Police are investigating three break-ins at Oak Ridge Observatory on Pinnacle Road that took place between November and March. Harvard Police Sergeant John Coates said that the facility’s caretaker discovered the incidents and reported them to police on March 8. Evidence gathered at the scene helped police determine the dates of the incidents and has helped identify most of the suspects involved, Coates said, adding that charges are pending in two of the incidents.
According to the police report, a male gained entry to the facility’s Building 18 through a rear window on Nov. 7 and again on Nov. 20, when he brought a woman with him. Several items were stolen on both occasions, valued at about $100 in total. Coates said the building was formerly used for research, and he noted that there is still some equipment stored there.
On March 6, a group of teenagers believed to be from the area entered and vandalized Building 14. Coates said, “At this time, it doesn’t appear that anything was stolen.” But he added that the case is still under investigation.
There have been problems with burglaries and vandalism at Oak Ridge before. In October 2014 vandals damaged five buildings at the facility to the tune of about $2,000.
The 83-year-old observatory was formerly operated by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a facility of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and was a research center for tracking the movement of minor planets, asteroids, and stars throughout the solar system. The site was also once a participant in the SETI initiative, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Now owned by Harvard University, the facility was closed to the public in 2005.
According to Coates, some research is still conducted at Oak Ridge, although on a smaller scale. “Operations there have been reduced,” he said, speculating that the lack of personnel there and the curiosity sparked by the facility’s history may be what have made the site a target of vandals.
Coates said the investigation into the November break-ins is nearing completion and that the suspects will face charges of breaking and entering, larceny, and trespassing. Coates said the March incident is still being investigated, but at a minimum, the parties involved will likely face charges of vandalism.
