By Bryon Wells
Arizona Daily Wildcat
February 19, 1998

Police Beat

A Tucson man warned for criminal trespass Feb. 3 was arrested Tuesday after university police found him using the bathroom facilities again at Bear Down Gym, 1428 E. University Blvd.

Police went to Bear Down about 9:30 a.m. after a report that a strange man was in the building.

While in the basement and locker room area, an officer recognized William L. Lessel, 43, of the 1200 block of East Milton Street, from an encounter with him at Bear Down earlier this month, police reports stated.

A records check also indicated Lessel had an outstanding felony warrant from Maricopa County.

During the subsequent arrest, Lessel gave officers a plastic bag containing 12.8 grams of a green leafy substance, which he told police was marijuana, reports stated.

Lessel was booked in to Pima County Jail on charges of criminal trespassing, marijuana possession and the warrant. He was being held yesterday in lieu of a $2,200 bond.

University police referred a student to the Dean of Students' diversion program Tuesday after receiving a report of an odor of marijuana coming from his room in Cochise Residence Hall, 1018 E. South Campus Drive.

Police arrived at the room at 10:58 p.m. and noticed the smell of burnt marijuana when the occupant answered, police reports stated.

Police talked to the student in the second-floor hallway and he gave them permission to search his room, reports stated.

A search of the room yielded no contraband, but police found a 40-ounce bottle of Phat Boy beer in the refrigerator, reports stated.

Because the student was under 21, police referred him to the diversion program and disposed of the beer outside of the dorm.

A UA student was arrested on a theft charge Tuesday after Parking and Transportation Services employees found a stolen parking permit in his vehicle in Lot 5065 north of Coronado Residence Hall, 822 E. Fifth St.

Parking and Transportation Services employees "booted" a 1995 Honda Civic in the lot at 2:49 p.m. because the car had a permit that was reported lost in September, police reports stated.

Police talked to vehicle's owner, Douglas E. P. Parfrey, 19, a Coronado resident, about the discovery of the permit.

Parfrey told police he bought the permit at his dorm in September from a man named "Nate," who told him he was selling the permit because his mother took his car away.

Parfrey was cited on a charge of theft under $250 and released.

A UA student reported his backpack stolen Monday from a table at the Science-Engineering Library, 744 N. Highland Ave.

The student told university police he left his backpack on a second-floor table about 4 p.m. while he looked for a book.

When he returned about 30 minutes later, his $35 backpack and its contents, $220 in cash, a $25 Sony Walkman and a $30 textbook were missing, reports stated.

The student told police he didn't see who took his backpack.

A Coronado Hall resident assistant called university police Tuesday after noticing a marijuana odor coming from a book bag dropped off by a taxi driver the day before because it was left in his cab.

The RA told police the cab driver walked into Coronado Hall, 822 E. Fifth St., about 1:10 a.m. and handed her the bag.

The cab driver told the RA that he had picked up two female students from the dorm earlier that night and wanted to return the bag because he remembered they were nice to him.

The cab driver told the RA that the students lived in Room 480, but that isn't a valid room number, reports stated.

Shortly after the cabby left, the RA whiffed a marijuana smell coming from the bag and filled out an incident report for the hall director, reports stated.

The RA didn't call police until Tuesday night because she was new at the desk and was unaware of the proper procedures, reports stated.

When police went to the hall, they opened the bag to attempt to find its owner and found a pipe with marijuana residue.

Police were unable to determine ownership of the bag, so they placed the pipe into evidence to be destroyed.

Police Beat is compiled from official University of Arizona Police Department reports.