By Kristen Pownall

Arizona Daily Wildcat

A UA student was arrested on charges of child neglect after she left her 4-year-old boy in the courtyard of the Psychology building while she went to class Friday afternoon.

Synthia Alcantar, 21, of 3200 E. Fort Lowell Road, was cited and released after police received reports of a small boy wandering around near the building at 1503 E. University Blvd.

Two students told police the boy appeared lost and when asked where his mother was, the child pointed to the building. Since the students were unable to locate the mother, they brought the boy to an office in the building and called police, police said.

Police then received a call from Alcantar, who told police she believed someone took her son from the courtyard. When police arrived, Alcantar told them she arrived late to her class and left her son sitting on the wall of the flower bed just outside her classroom.

Alcantar said she stood by the door of the classroom so she could keep sight of her son, and checked on him every seven minutes. The fourth time she checked on her son, she saw he was missing, police said.

Alcantar said she usually takes her child to daycare, police said.

Police then met with the little boy, who began crying, saying "Don't take me away," and "Don't take my mommy." Police said the boy seemed in good health.

Child protective services were called and informed of the situation, and they told police to release the child to his mother, police said.

Alcantar was then cited and released.

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A UA student was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct for discharging a firearm Thursday night in Babcock Hall.

James H. Hirsch, 21, a resident of the hall, was arrested after police traced gunshots to his room.

A resident of the dorm told police a shot came through her bathroom wall, startling her so that she "fell to the floor," police said. Police saw two holes in the bathroom, one near the ceiling on the north wall and the other in a door frame.

Police traced the shots to Hirsch's room, but he was not in at the time.

Hirsch called police later that night and said the gun went off as he was cleaning it. He said he had gone to a shooting range earlier that day and planned to return the Beretta 9 mm pistol to a friend who lived off campus, police said.

Hirsch decided to clean the gun before returning it. As he lifted the hammer back and forth, his finger slipped off the cocked hammer, discharging one round high on the south wall of his room, Hirsch told police.

Hirsch said he thought the shot went through the roof without causing harm.

According to Hirsch, he "panicked" and went to his friend's house, thinking no one would hear the shot, police said.

Police told Hirsch he was under arrest for disorderly conduct and would have to find a different place to live because he had violated residence hall weapons codes.

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