By Bryon Wells
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 9, 1998

Police Beat

University police arrested a man on a trespassing charge Thursday after receiving complaints of someone being rowdy and wandering near the Life Sciences South building, 1007 E. Lowell St.

Police arrived at 8 p.m. and spotted a man, identified as David Camitses, 49, of a general delivery address, on the north side of the building, police reports stated.

Camitses told the officer he had a toothache and he wanted assistance, reports stated.

An officer remembered Camitses from an earlier encounter that day, when he was taken to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center but was not treated, reports stated.

Camitses appeared drunk, and police warned him for criminal trespassing and told him to leave campus, reports stated.

About 15 minutes later, Camitses returned to the same location and was arrested on a criminal trespassing charge and booked into Pima County Jail.

University police arrested a man Thursday accused of threatening an employee at knife point at the Fruitissimo juice bar, 998 E. University Blvd.

Police received a call about a man who threatened a Fruitissimo employee with a knife and then left in a white truck, police reports stated.

Police rolled up to the juice bar about 7 p.m., and found a man, later identified as Tracy S. Pruitt, 35, of the 1200 block of North Tyndall Avenue, waving at officers as he stood next to a parked white truck, reports stated.

An officer asked Pruitt where the knife was, and he reached for his rear pocket and produced a black folding knife with a 3 1/2-inch blade, reports stated.

Pruitt told the officer that it was he who called police, and that he was defending himself against the employee, reports stated.

Pruitt was arrested on an aggravated assault charge and then released to Tucson police officers who had later arrived.

A UA employee told university police a Facilities Management employee who was using power tools damaged his hearing while he was in the men's restroom at the Civil Engineering building, 1209 E. Second St.

The employee, a civil engineering staff technician, told police he went to the restroom about 7:45 a.m. and noticed a Facilities Management worker was getting ready repair the door jamb with a power saw, police reports stated.

The staff technician told police that seconds after he sat in the first stall, the worker began sawing, causing a loud grinding noise, reports stated.

The staff technician told police the noise lasted for 10 seconds, and that he had covered his ears and began yelling for the worker to stop.

The technician told police the Facilities Management worker, who was wearing ear protection, did not clear the restroom or warn him that he was going to do some cutting, and that he later suffered from headaches and ringing in the ears because of the ruckus, reports stated.

The technician told police he would go see a doctor and that he wants to file charges for possible criminal recklessness or negligence, reports stated.

University police arrested three teenagers on suspicion of writing graffiti in various locations of the Life Sciences South building, 1007 E. Lowell St.

A UA employee told police she stepped into an elevator at 2:10 p.m. and smelled a chemical, marker-like odor and noticed fresh graffiti on the wall, police reports stated.

Police arrived at 3:13 p.m. and rounded up three boys in the area of East Sixth Street and North Park Avenue who matched descriptions given by employees who saw them in Life Sciences earlier, reports stated.

One of the teenagers, who is 14 years old, was arrested on criminal trespassing and aggravated criminal damage charges after police found white and black permanent markers in his backpack and were able to compare a sample of the boy's graffiti writing with the writing on the walls in Life Sciences, reports stated.

Another teenager, also 14, was arrested on possession of drug paraphernalia charges after he told police he was in Life Sciences and police discovered a ceramic bong with a marijuana odor in his backpack, reports stated.

The third teenager, 15, was arrested on a charge of permitting life, health or morals of a minor to be imperiled by neglect, abuse or immoral associations. He was also referred on a charge of false reporting to law enforcement after he told police he was not in the building with the other boys but one of the 14-year-olds said he was inside, reports stated.

The teenagers were all released to their parents after they were referred to Pima County Juvenile Court.

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