Ron Hunt admitted he and his son did not have security clearance to possess the master key. Hunt said, "I have located or found a great grand master key some time ago, yes."
University Investigators last week took undercover pictures of him, unlocking a gate and accessing a part of campus that was off limits to Hunt who is an equipment technician.
Hunt saw the pictures, but denied committing a crime. Officers also photographed him leaving with two envelopes that appear to be full. Hunt defended himself saying, "I had paper documentation, schematic diagram on a project ... special project I was working on for the mechanical engineering department."
According to court documents, investigators searched Hunt's home and seized university equipment that may have been removed without permission. Most university buildings are easily accessible to the public. But if someone has a great grand master key then he or she has access to private and secure places that may contain expensive equipment.
Investigators wouldn't comment on camera but in a sworn court statement they wrote, " ... [suspects] potentially have access into every building on campus ... if these keys fall into the wrong hands the university as a whole would be compromised ... this is why great grand master keys are guarded ... "
Hunt said numerous master keys are floating around meaning a lot of people can access places they shouldn't. Hunt said, "The people I know were all loyal campus individuals and protected the sanctity of the key itself. I don't know of anybody that abused them."
Hunt and his son received a citation for possessing the keys. University officials issued a statement saying personal safety does not appear to be threatened. But that directly contradicts a sworn statement made in court when investigators told a judge they're concerned for the safety of all university personnel.
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