Police Beat

By Joseph Altman Jr.

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Over $4,000 in computer equipment was taken from a room in the Optical Sciences Building, 1630 E. University Blvd., Monday night.

Employees had locked the room at 5:30 p.m. Monday. When the room was opened again at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, a Pentium tower CPU with 32 megabytes of RAM and 1.2-gigabyte hard drive, a 17-inch monitor and an additional 24 megabytes of RAM were missing.

There was no evidence of forced entry, and only four people have keys to the room. No fingerprints were found on the scene.

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A golf cart was stolen from the southwest side of the Mary Roby Gymnastics Center, 710 N. Martin Ave.

The Norskog cart was locked to a large pipe with a heavy link chain and padlock at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. The cart, lock, chain and charging cord were discovered missing sometime Monday morning.

Marks on the concrete nearby indicated that force was used to break the chain.

An unknown employee reported seeing the cart heading northbound on North First Avenue and East Grant Road Sunday night. It was being towed by a blue car.

The cart, which has a flat bed and a single head lamp, is valued at $1,500.

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Police responded to Steward Observatory, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tuesday morning after an employee called to report a fire on the fifth floor.

An employee told police he was changing four lead-acid batteries in a microwave radio at 7:59 a.m. when he heard a popping noise and smoke started pouring out of the battery area.

The employee tried to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, but could not see due to the smoke. He then told a secretary to call 911.

Police arrived at 8:01 a.m. and the Tucson Fire Department was notified. Police entered the building but encountered thick smoke on the fifth floor and were unable to proceed.

Three TFD engine companies, a ladder company, a paramedic unit and a battalion commander arrived at 8:07 a.m., but discovered the fire was out when they went upstairs. The building was then vented with portable fans.

One employee was treated for a cut finger sustained when he broke a glass case to get a fire extinguisher, and another was taken to Tucson Medical Center by a friend to be examined for smoke inhalation. People were allowed to re-enter the building at 8:43 a.m.

Officials determined that the smoke started when one of the battery wires was pinched and shorted out, causing the wire's insulation to melt and smoke.

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A student's dark blue Giant 10-speed mountain bike was reportedly stolen from the Music Building, 1017 N. Olive Rd., Monday.

The student said he secured the bike, using a cable lock, at 8:45 a.m. When he returned at 5:15 p.m., it was gone.

The bicycle is valued at $190.

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A $10 bill was found on the patio of the Law College, 1201 E. Speedway Blvd.

An officer found the bill at 9:25 a.m. Tuesday. She asked people in the area if they had lost the money, but everyone said they had not.

The $10 bill, serial number G10513285A, was brought back to UAPD and placed into property.

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

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