Students charged in string of thefts

By Joseph Barrios

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Four UA students were arrested Friday for charges including theft, fraudulent use of a credit card and presenting false information to a police officer.

Corey P. Wick, 24, of the 1200 block of East Grant Road, was arrested and charged with theft, burglary, fraudulent schemes, posession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia Saturday after University of Arizona Police Department officers obtained a search warrant for Wick's house.

Wick was arrested Nov. 23 in the Student Recreation Center after he allegedly stole compact discs from a backpack in the men's locker room.

Police were already investigating a string of thefts in which credit/debit cards were stolen from the men's locker room and used to buy merchandise at various stores on Sixth Street and Broadway Boulevard, said UAPD Detective Sgt. Sal Celi.

Police confirmed in one instance that a credit card stolen

from the Recreation Center was used to buy, among other items, a 32-inch color television from an electronics store. Police used hidden cameras and witnesses from the store to identify Wick in a police line-up.

Police were able to obtain a search warrant of Wick's apartment, where they found a 32-inch color television and an estimated $8,000 in merchandise allegedly stolen or purchased with stolen credit cards. The merchandise also included compact disc players, camcorders and video cassette records. Police also found 27 grams of marijuana and nine valid driver's license that did not belong to residents.

Steven Johnson, 23, also of the 1200 block of East Grant Road, was arrested and charged with posession of stolen property when police found a stolen credit card in his wallet during the investigation.

Nicole Ward, 21, of the 1200 block of East Blacklidge, was arrested for false presentation of information to a police officer after police asked her if she knew anything about the stolen merchandise. Ward denied any knowledge of the merchandise, but police report she was allegedly with Wick when the 32-inch television was purchased, posing as his wife.

Police say the stolen credit cards have been used to buy merchandise illegally for several months.

Read Next Article