By Bryon Wells
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 4, 1998

Police Beat

University police arrested a Tucson man on an alcohol charge Monday after coffee shop employees caught him drinking a beer at The Coffee Plantation, 845 E. University Blvd.

An employee flagged down two police officers at 4:06 p.m. and told them a man was sitting at a table with a 40-ounce bottle of Mickey's Fine Malt Liquor, police reports stated.

Police told Andrew T. Gamboa, 43, of the 1600 block of North Geronimo Avenue, that he could not booze it up in the store, and noticed he appeared drunk, reports stated.

Gamboa was arrested after refusing three requests from the officers to leave.

Police discovered Gamboa had an outstanding warrant for his arrest and found a full pint bottle of peach Schnapps stashed under his shirt, reports stated.

Police disposed of the booze, reports stated.

Gamboa was booked into the Pima County Jail on a drinking in public charge and the outstanding warrant for failing to pay a court fine.

A UA student told university police that items from his backpack were stolen Monday from a room in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering building, 1130 N. Mountain Ave.

The student told police his phone had rung during class so he had turned it off and placed it in his backpack.

The student told police he left his backpack in the classroom about 1:45 p.m. while he chatted with classmates outside.

When the man returned at 2 p.m., he found that his backpack had been opened, and his $300 phone and $90 calculator were missing, police reports stated.

The student told police he believes the culprit is someone from class because he saw nobody enter the room while he was outside.

A thief apparently had a fast-food snack before swiping $200 worth of cologne from a student's room at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house, 1402 N. Vine Ave.

The student told university police he returned from a weekend trip Sunday at 11:45 p.m. and found some Jack in the Box food wrappers on the ground.

The fraternity member then realized about $200 worth of cologne and his "8 Seconds" and "Liar Liar" videocassettes were missing, police reports stated.

The student told police he had locked the room when he left town about 1 p.m. Friday, but police found no sign of a break-in, reports stated.

The student told police a former fraternity member may have a key to the room, but that resident had not visited the house this semester.

The student told police his stereo, videocassette recorder, television, compact discs and other movies were not disturbed.

A truck was set ablaze and left to burn Sunday night at the university-owned research land, Tumamoc Hill, at 1700 W. Anklam Road.

When university police arrived at 9:14 p.m., the Tucson Fire Department had already put out a fire in a blue Toyota pickup truck, which was burnt extensively inside and out, police reports stated.

According to reports, the truck may have been intentionally torched, and was pushed over a small mound of earth and down a ravine.

There were no license plates on the truck, and the vehicle identification number plate was also missing, reports stated.

A student called university police Monday to report her backpack was stolen from a locker at the Student Recreation Center, 1400 E. Sixth St.

The student told police she left her backpack in an unlocked locker about 7 p.m. and returned at 8 p.m. to find her pack was gone.

The pack contained various clothes, a wallet, credit cards, checkbook and a $90 calculator, police reports stated.

University police met with a UA student Monday who reported his backpack stolen from the Science-Engineering Library, 744 N. Highland Ave.

The student told police he left his $26 backpack, containing an $80 digital communications textbook, to look for a book at 3:15 p.m.

He told police he returned to his desk about a half-hour later and discovered his belongings were missing.

The student told police he checked other floors but could not find his backpack or textbook.

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