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Students admit to vandalism of UA vehicle, police report

Two UA students admitted to police they were involved in a vandalism incident that caused more than $4,200 worth of damage to a UAPD owned van, police said. A third student is still under investigation.

A trail of blood from the van to the Kappa Sigma fraternity house led detectives to suspect three Kappa Sigma members in the vandalism. No charges have been filed and police have withheld information about the case pending the ongoing three-week investigation.

University Police went to a parking lot at the 1100 block of East Speedway Boulevard the morning of Mar. 2 and found the van with extensive damage and a trail of blood drops leading to the Kappa Sigma fraternity house, 1423 E. First St., police reports stated.

After police spoke with numerous members of the fraternity, two men, in an official police report, admitted to involvement with the incident.

"All I can really say now is that the case is still active, and when it is complete, we will send it to the county attorney's office for review," said UAPD Cpl. Larry Forchione, who is investigating the case.

The damaged 1999 Chevrolet van belongs to the UA Center for Computing and Information Technology and was damaged sometime the night of Mar. 1 and the morning of Mar. 2.

Police officers found the van's windshield was broken and had two holes in it; the hood had several punctures and dents; the headlights and taillights were broken; the two right side tires were punctured and flat; both side mirrors were smashed and broken off the vehicle, and the trail of blood started on the hood of the van.

After noting the damage and the trail of blood, officers saw an Easton baseball bat in a nearby trash can and matched the paint on the bat to paint that was transferred to the van.

The officers contacted UAPD Detective Jose Sprigg, who arrived at the scene, collected some of the blood and went with an officer to speak with Chad Foust, president of Kappa Sigma.

Foust agreed to let the officer and Sprigg speak with members of the fraternity and continue to follow the trail of blood, the report stated.

Sprigg and the officer found the trail led to a suite in the house, but both men who live in the room said they knew nothing about the incident. Officers spoke with other fraternity members in suites nearby, but no one knew about the incident.

Police found a piece of glass in the bathroom, at the end of the blood trail. The glass, baseball bat, the van's side mirrors and samples of the blood were taken for use as evidence, and Foust was advised by Sprigg to speak with members of the fraternity to gain more information.

The Arizona Daily Wildcat contacted Foust and one of the men who admitted involvement in the incident in a tape-recorded interview with Forchione, but both declined to comment on "internal affairs."

On Mar. 3, Sprigg passed the investigation on to Forchione, who received a lead to contact one of the members of the fraternity.

According to the report, Forchione met with the man that day and let him know the interview was voluntary on his part and was to be taped.

The man said he and another member of the fraternity were leaving Dirtbag's bar, 1800 E. Speedway Blvd., between 1:00 and 1:30 a.m., Mar. 2, walking through a UA parking lot between Dirtbag's and Kappa Sigma, when a third member of the fraternity joined them, the report stated.

The man told Forchione that he didn't remember how the van became a target for vandalism, and he didn't remember who handed him the bat, the report stated.

He told Forchione he struck the vehicle's hood, front windshield and taillight. He didn't remember who did any other damage to the vehicle.

The man also told Forchione he injured his right index finger during the incident and he went to his old room at Kappa Sigma Fraternity, the same one the trail of blood led to, the report stated.

He said the residents of the room were not there when he entered the room.

On Mar. 8, Forchione contacted the man who met the first two to see if he had any involvement.

The man told Forchione he knew why he was being questioned and agreed to a taped interview, the report stated.

He told Forchione he heard banging noises coming from outside the fraternity house the morning of Mar. 2 and went outside to see what was happening, the report stated.

He said he immediately saw the first man Forchione interviewed striking the van with a bat, the report stated. He said he also saw the third man, who had yet to be interviewed when the report was filed, making motions as if he was kicking the van.

The man then told Forchione he "popped two tires," the report stated.

Forchione told the man he just admitted to committing a criminal incident and read him his Miranda rights, which the man understood and agreed to still be interviewed, the report stated.

The man told Forchione he used a pocketknife to slash the driver's front tire and driver's rear tire. He said he stayed in the lot for a few more minutes, then went inside and went to bed. He didn't know what the other two men did after that.

On Mar. 9, Watson Chevrolet Geo, 625 W. Auto Mall Dr., gave the UA an estimate on the damages to the van and labor needed to repair it, which totaled $4,252.71.

Forchione also tried to contact the third man Mar. 9, 13 and 14 without success in reaching him. The case is still active, and no charges have been filed.