A Downers Grove man was arrested and charged with four criminal offenses at 2:05 a.m. Saturday in connection with a break-in at Buzzard Hall.

Robert Martin, 20, was charged with criminal damage of a fire-fighting apparatus, criminal damage to government property, criminal trespass, and consumption of liquor by a minor.

He was released to the custody of the Coles County Sheriff’s Office at 4:10 a.m. pending court appearance to determine bond, according to University Police Department criminal blotter.

One of the doors on the north entrance as well as one of the doors and multiple windows on the northeast entrance facing Ninth Street were damaged in the break-in.  One of the windows on the door of Room 1211 in the building was also damaged. The windows at the entrance to the office of the Special Education Department were also smashed.

The smashed windows have been temporarily replaced with wooden panels.

A fire extinguisher was used to dent the walls of the mailbox room and Special Education Professor Kathryn Hovercroft’s office.

Morgan Murray, a sophomore journalism major, called the police after she saw a man standing, screaming obscenities at the northeast Ninth Street entrance, and she noticed the windows had been broken in.

Murray said she was walking home with her friend around 2 a.m. on the Ninth Street sidewalk and heard him yelling “vulgar words.”

“I saw the guy yelling, screaming and going crazy,” Murray said. “I thought ‘something is going on. I should probably walk faster and try to avoid it.’ Then me and my friend realized that the window was broken.”

After creating some distance between themselves and the man, Murray said she called and officers responded within 30 seconds.

“We just ran home because we were scared, and he was going crazy,” she added.

Murray also mentioned the man she saw did not have anything in his hands when she saw him outside the door.

More information regarding the charges and the break-in will be provided when made available.

Jarad Jarmon can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].