Police Beat

By Maria S. Ramirez

Arizona Summer Wildcat

Wednesday, June 14

A University of Arizona employee reported to police that his 1987 Buick was stolen from a parking lot near Helen Street and Campbell Avenue between 6:50 a.m. and 12:14 p.m.

Police found broken glass on the ground where the car was last parked. The victim said he locked his car and that the keys were not inside. He also said he had installed a security device around the steering column.

The vehicle is described as grey with a grey vinyl top and chrome wheels and fender. The estimated value was not available.

Police have no suspects.

ששש

Thursday, June 15

A UA employee at Bear Down Gym reported a female trying to use the name of another student to obtain a UA identification card. The employee told police she became suspicious of the person when the fictitious name was entered into the computer and the information did not match.

The woman left when the employee began asking more questions and would not show a picture ID.

The employee was unable to reach the person whose name was being used.

ששש

The owner of the "Dog House" reported to police that 41 packages of assorted flavor Wrigley's gum were stolen from the vendor cart located on University Boulevard and Cherry Avenue.

Witnesses told police they saw seven children, ranging from 10 to 12-years-old, near the cart before the gum was reported missing. They were seen getting onto the Sun Tran bus on Campbell Avenue and University Boulevard.

Police stopped the bus at the bus stop where they saw an adult getting off with the children. When police approached the adult, who said he was their teacher, to get the children' names, dates of birth and addresses, he began arguing with police.

The teacher insisted the children had nothing to do with the theft and that they needed to catch another bus to return to the elementary school.

Police advised the teacher that if he continued to argue, he would be arrested for hindering prosecution. Police were then able to obtain the necessary information from the students. The students were not questioned by police about the theft.

The victim identified the children he saw near the cart. Police were later contacted by the students' principal. She told police that they had found three more packages of gum when the children returned to school and one package the children had eaten.

The principal told police she would speak to the children involved and that they will probably be suspended.

Ten more packages of gum were recovered at the visitors center. The victim told police he was willing to prosecute for the remaining 27 packages, valued at $7, if he was not reimbursed.

The principal was willing to reimburse the owner. The case is pending.

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Police responded to a complaint at the Martin Luther King Center by a student employee who said she received a threatening letter from another student employee. The victim told police that a memorandum was sent to her with the words "even dangerous" and "the man dies in all that keeps silent in the face of Tyranny," which she said she found threatening.

When police questioned the suspect, he said he was quoting from novelist Wole Soyinka and did not mean anything threatening. UAPD suggested that both parties discuss the incident with a mediator present and report it to their deans.

Police did not elaborate on what information was in the memo.

ששש

Saturday, June 17

UAPD arrested two men, one a UA student, on charges of possession of marijuana, minor consuming liquor and outstanding warrants. UA student Stephen Charles Waitt, 18, of the 100 block of West Rolling Hills, was arrested for outstanding warrants related to alcohol violations.

Police stopped the car after seeing it drift from one lane to another and hitting a curb. Waitt passed a field sobriety test, but admitted to police that he had smoked marijuana. He was arrested for the warrants and transported to Pima County Jail and booked.

The passenger, Devin P. Clifford, 19, of 9500 block of North Rancho Feliz, was also arrested and released for possession of marijuana.

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

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