By Alicia A. Caldwell
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 24, 1997

Police Beat

University police arrested a 21-year-old student Wednesday on hit-and-run charges.

Police arrested James Pintsak, of the 1800 block of East Blacklidge Drive, after two university employees reported seeing his 1994 Ford truck hit a 1984 BMW at 10 a.m., police reports stated.

The employees told officers they saw Pintsak hit the BMW as he tried to park his truck in the lot #2025 at East Speedway Boulevard and North Cherry Avenue, police reports stated.

Pintsak's truck reportedly hit the BMW and "rocked" it.

The employees told officers Pintsak then backed out of the space and reparked his truck, police reports stated.

Officers left a note on Pintsak's truck to call them and the driver of the BMW, a male student, was notified. The student wanted Pintsak to pay for the damage to his car.

According to police reports, Pintsak told officers he "lightly bumped" the BMW and saw no damage to the vehicle. He told officers since there was no damage he decided to "go on about his business," police reports stated.

Pintsak told officers there was a "smudge" of paint from the BMW on his truck and that he wiped it off, police reports stated.

Pintsak was cited for leaving the scene of an accident and released from police headquarters.

A male student called university police Wednesday after finding a gold picture frame in the trunk of his 1987 Mazda 626.

The student parked his car near McClelland Hall, 1130 E. Helen St., just after 7 a.m., got his backpack out the trunk and did not see the frame, police reports stated.

About 2:40 p.m., the student returned to his car and put his backpack in the trunk. When he opened the trunk he found the frame under a blanket, police reports stated.

The 2-foot-by-3-foot frame holds 21 photos over an embroidered matting.

The student told officers his wife is the only other person with a key to the car, police reports stated.

The student reportedly did not recognize anyone in the photographs.

The frame was taken to police headquarters and is being held until the owner can be notified.

A female employee called university police Tuesday after money from a T-shirt sale was stolen from an unlocked office.

The employee told officers the money had been kept in a small metal box in an Architecture building office, police reports stated. That box was in a cardboard box with the T-shirts.

The employee told officers the box may have been in the building, 1040 N. Olive Road, over the weekend of Nov. 15-16, police reports stated. The funds were not, however, discovered missing until Tuesday at 1 p.m., police reports stated.

She told officers the only non-student in the building was a UA plumber.

The amount of money missing was unknown.

University police got a call from two male students Nov. 17 after they woke up without their wallets in Babcock Inn Residence Hall, 1717 E. Speedway Blvd.

Before the students went to sleep, about 1 a.m., they put their wallets on a desk, police reports stated. When they woke, just after 9 a.m., the wallets were missing.

The students told officers the wallets were under a watch and a pair of sunglasses but only the wallets were missing in the morning, police reports stated.

The two told officers they believe someone came in the room while they were asleep and took the wallets.

According to police reports, someone used one of the students credit cards at a local gas station that morning.

Officers told the two to call police again if they received any more information.

The wallets and their contents were valued at over $70.

A female student called university police Wednesday after finding her bicycle seat missing.

The student told officers she parked her bike at 9 p.m. on Nov. 10 in a rack near Stadium Residence Hall, 1557 E. Sixth St., police reports stated.

She came back to the bike at 1 p.m. on Nov. 11 and the seat was missing, police reports stated.

The value of the seat was unknown.

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