By Alicia A. Caldwell
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 20, 1997

Police Beat

University police arrested an 18-year-old Tucson man for traffic violations Monday after officers saw invalid tags on the 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass he was driving.

Police arrested Eric Figueroa, of the 800 block of West Calle Ventura, after officers pulled him over just after 12:30 p.m. near East Speedway Boulevard and North Mountain Avenue.

The car he was driving had both 1996 and 1998 registration tags on the license plate, police reports stated.

According to police reports, he told officers he did not have a driver's license and had not insured the recently purchased car.

He added the previous owner would not give him the car's registration until he finished paying for it, police reports stated.

Figueroa told officers he did not know there were two tags on the license plate, police reports stated.

The license plate was removed from the car and will be sent to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

He was cited for having no driver's license, no insurance and fictitious tags. He was later released at the scene.

A university professor called police Tuesday after her backpack and its contents were stolen from her office.

The professor told officers she left her third floor office in Biological Science West, 1041 E. Lowell St., at 5:15 p.m., police reports stated.

She reportedly went to a lab across the hall, leaving her door open with the backpack sitting on a chair.

Another female employee told officers she saw an unidentified man walk out of the office with the woman's backpack at 5:20 p.m., police reports stated.

The woman reportedly went into the lab to ask the professor if someone else should have her backpack.

The professor said no and the two left the lab to find the man but could not find him, police reports stated.

Another employee told officers she saw the man come out the third floor elevator carrying an insulated bag, police reports stated.

The man reportedly caught her attention because she had never seen him before.

The two witnesses agreed to make a composite sketch of the man yesterday.

The backpack and its contents were valued at $50.

A female student called university police Tuesday after finding the front California license plate of her 1995 Ford Mustang missing.

The student told officers she parked her car in the Cherry Avenue Garage, 1641 E. Enke Drive, at 12:30 a.m. Saturday, police reports stated.

She reportedly returned to her car at 9:30 a.m. and the license plate was gone.

The rear license plate was still there, police reports stated. Nothing else was missing from the car.

The value of the license plate was unknown.

A male employee called university police Monday after finding the side mirror of a UA 1997 Chevy S14 truck.

The employee saw the truck at noon Monday with the right rear-view mirror broken off and tossed in the bed of the truck

The truck was parked in the Zone 1 lot at North Highland Avenue and East First Street during the weekend, police reports stated.

The employee told officers this was not the first time there has been damage to a university-owned car.

The value of the window was unknown.

A male employee called university police Tuesday after discovering a Sony camcorder missing from the Family and Consumer Resources building, 1110 E. South Campus Drive.

The camcorder was last seen on Nov. 11 and was reportedly kept in a closet of the FCR building, police reports stated.

The employee told officers the room is frequently used but the closet is normally locked.

The employee reportedly sent an e-mail message asking if someone borrowed the camera but has not received any responses.

The camera, videotapes and case were valued at $600.

A male student called university police Tuesday after he found his Giant Rincon mountain bicycle missing.

The student told officers he parked and locked his bike to a rack at noon Sunday near Coronado Residence Hall, 822 E. Fifth St., police reports stated.

According to police reports, he came back at 6 a.m. Tuesday and the bike and U-lock were gone.

The bike and U-lock were valued at $340.

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