KEVIN B. KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Mark Wardlow, former driver and loader with Interspace Moving and Storage, a company contracted with UA Facilities Management, claims that theft and drug use is common on the job. Police are currently investigating the allegations.

Police are investigating accusations of theft and illegal drug use occurring at the UA after a former employee of a moving company contracted with the university made complaints in early January.

Mark Wardlow, former driver and loader of Interspace Moving and Storage, contracted with Facilities Management, filed a police report Jan. 11 citing incidences of theft and drug use that occurred on campus while he worked there.

Occurrences of drug use and theft by Interspace employees were as "common as breathing," Wardlow said.

Fred Dalton, owner of Interspace, 750 E. Ohio St., fired Wardlow Dec. 31, after he worked there for 13 months, Wardlow said.

Wardlow, who is married with five children, said he was not dismissed for an official reason, but was told by Dalton he "made too many waves."

After being fired, Wardlow said he threatened to report incidents of drug use and theft because he was refused his final paycheck.

Wardlow said before he was fired, he reported unsafe and illegal behavior to Dalton and Rudy Haro, Interspace dispatcher, who ignored his claims.

"I just learned not to say anything," Wardlow said.

Even though he was not involved in theft or drug use, Wardlow said he ignored the illegal activity because of monetary reasons.

"(You) turn a blind eye because of greed. It was a paycheck," Wardlow said.

Many of his former co-workers used marijuana and cocaine while moving equipment on the UA campus, often times with students nearby, Wardlow said.

"They would be driving large moving trucks, flatbed trucks, all after getting high," Wardlow said.

Wardlow, who has worked in the moving business for 20 years, said he has, "never seen anything as bad as the guys at Interspace."

John Kaufmann, Interspace attorney, said the company has a drug policy stating employees cannot use drugs while working, but the company does not actively seek out drug users or test employees.

"We don't go to their house and test them at home," Kaufmann said.

Kaufmann, who also represents Dalton personally, said if there is suspicion or probable cause of breaking the drug policy, "that person is taken aside and it is investigated."

Dalton said he did not know of any of his employees doing drugs on the job, Kaufmann said.

However, Wardlow said Dalton was using cocaine and supplying it to employees, a claim Dalton's attorney denied.

Regarding matters of theft, Wardlow said Interspace workers would purposely leave equipment in the truck after moving it from the UA to surplus, a storage warehouse for damaged or used UA equipment to be auctioned to the public.

When employees returned to the Interspace building, Wardlow said they would move the equipment, which they called "extras," into their personal cars.

Stolen items include computers, a refrigerator, a couch and a washing machine. Wardlow said he knows which employees still have these items.

Oscar Jaramillo, surplus material handler and auctioneer, said surplus only uses Interspace when there is too much work for UA movers.

"I would say 90 percent of the moving (of surplus) is done by UA employees," Jarmillo said. "The other 10 percent is mostly done by Interspace, when we're too busy to pick up something soon enough."

Jarmillo said there are few occurrences of theft because surplus equipment has reference numbers the department uses to confirm each item reaches the warehouse.

In addition, audits are performed frequently so surplus has to account for any equipment not matching its reference number, Jaramillo said.

Bruce Vaughan, planning manager with Space Management, said he knew Wardlow, who made complaints in early January, and referred him to the University of Arizona Police Department.

Vaughan said he confirmed Wardlow's statements to UAPD, but never witnessed illegal activity. Aside from having no personal problem with Interspace, Vaughan said minor complaints, such as those for broken equipment, were always resolved.

"Everything that Wardlow complained about was hearsay. I didn't experience or witness anything that he was alleging," Vaughan said.

Filbert Berrera, UAPD detective investigating the case, said details of the case cannot be released because it is still under investigation.

However, Berrera said police are looking into previous cases of theft on campus, such as stolen equipment found at an abandoned house near the UA last year.

Berrera said Interspace is also contracted with Tucson's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, who also contacted UAPD about the case and alleged activity.

Dalton refused to comment on the allegations.

Kaufmann said Wardlow was nothing more than a "disgruntled employee who hasn't made any specific complaints, just idle threats."

"We received his complaints after he was terminated. (Once Wardlow was fired) he told Dalton 'Hire me back or I'll report you,'" Kaufmann said.

Kaufmann said he was unsure of any recent investigations involving Interspace employees.

Dave Parker, program coordinator for Facilities Management, said Interspace has been contracted with the UA for about 10 years, and the employees who work on campus are around students regularly.

To ensure safe work is being done, Interspace must have insurance and follow the UA Code of Conduct by contractual obligation, Parker said.

"If a university employee does call to complain (about drugs or theft), then I investigate the matter and have a meeting and contact the person who complained," Parker said.

Parker said although he met Dalton before, he mainly spoke with Rudy Haro, an Interspace employee. Parker did not know of any complaints about Dalton or other Interspace employees, he said.

"The only thing I can recall is maybe (a complaint) for the attitude of an employee, or because he didn't exactly do what he was told. But you will find that at any business," Parker said.

Regarding any legal action, Kaufmann said Interspace could sue Wardlow for libel, "but it would be like squeezing water from a stone."

Wardlow said he had many motives for wanting to expose the corruption at Interspace, but did not want to pursue legal action or attempt to gain monetarily.

"I'm not going to lose my line of living. We've lost a lot of good guys (in the moving business) because of corruption," Wardlow said.

While at University Medical Center yesterday, Wardlow said he saw an Interspace employee who had recently been arrested for a DUI driving a moving truck.

Wardlow said he thought the employee's driver's license was suspended and reported the violation to UMC staff.

UAPD was not available for further details, but is investigating the case.