By Alicia A. Caldwell
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 12, 1997

Police Beat

A male student called university police early Friday morning and told them his fraternity's float was ablaze.

The student told officers he was on the phone about 4 a.m. when he saw flames coming from the Sigma Chi fraternity Homecoming float, police reports stated. The float was parked in the east parking lot at the fraternity house, 1616 E. First St.

The student told officers he ran out to the float to wake two pledges who were sleeping atop it, reports stated. The pledges jumped from the flaming float and emerged uninjured.

The student and another Sigma Chi member reportedly chased two men seen running south in an alleyway near the fraternity. They lost sight of them east of North Martin Avenue near East First Street, reports stated.

The student told officers he saw the two again a little while at the north end of the Warren Tunnel at East Speedway Boulevard.

The two reportedly denied knowing anything about the Sigma Chi float fire.

The student told officers he suspected the float was set ablaze by a member of another fraternity.

Damage to the float was more than $1,000, according to reports.

University police were called to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house, 1420 N. Vine Ave., Thursday after a male student fell off the roof.

Officers arrived just after 3 a.m. and found the student lying face-up on the ground on the northwest side of the building, police reports stated.

The student was surrounded by other house members trying to prevent him from sitting up.

Witnesses told officers the student had been drinking beer and talking with another house member on the roof, reports stated.

The student then reportedly began to "dance around," finally falling off the roof.

According to reports, the student fell 20 to 25 feet. He was taken to University Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Ave.

Hospital staff said the student did not appear to have serious injuries but was held overnight for observation, reports stated.

After waking up, the student told officers he drank 12 beers and did not remember what happened, reports stated.

University police arrested a 29-year-old California man on drunken driving charges Saturday after officers spotted his car stopped in the middle of a lane near East Third Street and North Tyndall Avenue.

Lee M. Wielebski of Newport Beach, Calif., was arrested just before 8 p.m. after officers used their police car public address system to tell him to move his vehicle, police reports stated.

As he moved his 1994 BMW 325 I.S. sedan he reportedly cut off an oncoming truck and was subsequently pulled over, reports stated.

Officers smelled alcohol in the car and Wielebski said he had been drinking earlier in the day, reports stated.

He refused to submit to field sobriety tests and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Wielebski was taken to university police headquarters and released.

University police arrested a 19-year-old female student Friday night after she allegedly lied to officers twice.

Officers stopped Rachel Harris, of the 1400 block of East Second Street, carrying a red plastic cup along Second Street while walking with another woman.

According to police reports, officers smelled alcohol and Harris and the other woman told them they had been drinking margaritas.

The officers reportedly told the women if they had false identification cards and gave them to the officers, neither would be arrested.

Both women told officers they were 19 and gave them their fake-IDs.

Officers later saw Harris at an Alpha Tau Omega party, 1050 N. Cherry Ave., where Harris and the other woman told officers she was actually 22 years old, reports stated.

She told officers at about 10:35 p.m. she gave them her real driver's license because she was afraid.

A background check on the Harris' California driver's license revealed she was indeed 19, reports stated.

Harris reportedly told officers, "I'm sorry - I lied. I'm really 19, I also have a fake Utah license at home."

Harris was charged with minor possessing alcohol and providing false information to police.

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