By Bryon Wells
Arizona Daily Wildcat
February 12, 1998

Police Beat

Three students reported their backpacks stolen during a three-hour period Tuesday from two levels of the Main Library, 1510 E. University Blvd.

The first student told university police he left his Eastpack backpack at a desk on the fifth floor about 11:20 a.m. and walked to a bookshelf about 15 feet away.

The man told police that when he returned about 30 seconds later, the pack was missing.

The student told police that nearby students said they had not seen anyone suspicious near his backpack.

Items inside the pack included a thesaurus, notebooks and a planner, police reports stated.

Another student's backpack disappeared from a third floor table after he left to look for reference materials.

The student told university police he left his $40 backpack at a table about noon, then went to different locations in the library doing school research. The pack was missing when he returned about 50 minutes later, reports stated.

The pack contained three $50 textbooks, a $100 calculator, three UA library books and $5 in coins, reports stated.

The student told police he did not see anybody else in the area.

A third student told police his backpack was stolen from a table on the fifth floor between 1:45 and 2:45 p.m. while he went to different aisles looking for research materials.

The student told police he searched the restrooms for his backpack and its contents - two checkbooks, a $400 mini-computer and a U.S. passport - but was unable to locate any of the items

A student discovered a threatening message on her answering machine Monday night at the Sigma Kappa sorority house, 1125 N. Vine St.

The message, left at 11:25 p.m., was from a man who knew the student's name, however the student told police she did not recognize the voice.

The student told police a friend of her former boyfriend may have left the message, which warned her, "Watch your back, I'm going to snatch you from behind and fuck you up," reports stated.

According to reports, the call was untraceable, and the student was told how to handle future calls.

A student's bike was stolen between Saturday and Sunday night from a bike block near La Paz Residence Hall, 602 N. Highland Ave.

The student told university police he locked his bike near the north side of the building at 8 p.m. Saturday and found it missing when he returned Sunday at 6 p.m.

He told police he found the unlocked U-lock lying near the spot where his $100 Trek mountain bike was taken.

According to police reports, the locked was not forced open.

A UA employee reported that her checkbook and an unknown amount of cash was stolen from her briefcase sometime between Monday and Tuesday while it sat under her desk in the Space Sciences building, 1629 E. University Blvd.

The employee told police she discovered the checkbook and money missing at 8 p.m. Tuesday, along with her credit and UA staff identification cards.

According to police reports, the briefcase was open but was under her desk and could not be seen from the open door of her office.

She told police she did not know when the items were taken.

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