By John Brown
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 8, 1997

Police Beat

University police recovered a stolen handgun Monday after making a routine traffic stop at North Tyndall Avenue and East Fourth Street.

Police stopped the driver of a Nissan truck at 10:37 p.m. after seeing him driving recklessly in the parking lot at East Fifth Street and Tyndall Avenue.

When police approached the truck he saw the handgun on the dashboard.

The vehicle's passenger told police the gun was his and he had purchased it from his brother-in-law for a $100.

The man said his relative had bought the 9mm semi-automatic pistol from a local store, police reports stated.

According to reports, the gun's magazine was loaded, but had no bullets in its chamber.

A check revealed the gun had been reported stolen to the Titusvulle Police Department in Florida.

The gun was taken into evidence and the men were released.

A male student was arrested Friday after two students reported seeing him urinating on the steps behind the Memorial Student Union, 1303 E. University Blvd.

University police cited and released Daniel I. Rosen, 19, of the 1100 block of East Eighth Street, on a criminal nuisance charge.

The students told police they were behind the Student Union about 6 p.m. when Rosen reportedly got out of his maroon truck and started to open his pants.

The female student told police she turned her head when she realized what he was going to do.

The woman's boyfriend reported hearing a "splattering noise," apparently from the urine striking the pavement.

The students told police Rosen drove off in his truck, which had several stickers on the back window.

The male student told police he reported the incident because "he urinated right in front of my girlfriend," reports stated.

Moments later, officers stopped a maroon pickup near East Fourth and North Park Avenue.

According to reports, the back window had a sticker with the cartoon character "Calvin" urinating onto a Ford sticker.

The truck's cab smelled of urine, reports stated.

When police asked Rosen if he knew why they stopped him, he replied, "Ya', I urinated in public, it was stupid."

University police and the Tucson Fire Department responded to Graham-Greenlee Residence Hall, 610 N. Highland Ave., Saturday morning and found a smoldering pillow in a dumpster.

A hall resident told police he came back to his room about 2:55 a.m. and found his pillow ablaze.

According to reports, the student doused the pillow with water and believed the fire was out when he took the pillow to the nearby dumpster.

He told police he thought an overturned lamp had started the fire.

A UA employee notified police after his guide books and binoculars were stolen before he and a class left on a field trip from the Biosciences West Building, 1041 E. Lowell St.

The employee told university police that he put a box with two pairs of binoculars and field guide books on the sidewalk while loading up the van about 7:30 a.m.

When the group reached Catalina, they realized the items were missing.

The man told police he believes the items were taken from the sidewalk before they left for the field trip.

The field guide books were valued at $155, Nikon binoculars at $100 and Bushnell binoculars at $30.

Two 20-year-old women were arrested Saturday after university police discovered them drinking a bottle of "Boone's Farm" wine in the Taco Bell parking lot at East Speedway Boulevard and North Campbell Avenue.

Nicole M. Plunkett, of the 7500 block of East 27th Street and Jodi D. Haag, of the 6300 block of East Hayne, were both cited and released on charges of minor in possession of liquor.

Police went to Taco Bell at 10:30 p.m. and found them sitting in a vehicle with the opened brown-bagged bottle of wine, reports stated.

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