Bag at it again

University of Arizona Police Department officers responded to a call on Jan. 5 from the UA BookStore regarding a male suspect who fled the store with a stolen backpack valued at $65.

Officers tracked the man to an empty classroom in the James E. Rogers College of Law building after receiving reports of a man who matched the description of the suspect. The man was wearing a red t-shirt over a red tank top, both with tags still attached, and pajama bottoms. He had the backpack with him.

The officers handcuffed the suspect and questioned him about the price tags on his clothing. The man told the officers the shirts were Christmas gifts and he had not removed the tags yet. 

Inside the backpack, officers discovered a glass pipe with residue on it. A field test revealed that the residue tested positive for crack cocaine. 

Also inside the backpack was a packet of suboxone, a narcotic that blocks the effects of opioid medication.

Dispatch advised the officers that the suspect had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant from Tucson Police Department. The man had five previous theft contacts. 

UA BookStore staff members positively identified the suspect as the man who had fled with the stolen backpack earlier in the day.

Officers arrested the man and gave him a six-month exclusionary order. They later escorted the man to Pima County Jail.

          RELATED: POLICE BEAT 01/16/18

Rage against the machine

UAPD officers arrived at Likins Residence Hall Jan. 8 in response to a call regarding criminal damage to a building vending machine.

Officers met with the community director who made the call after he discovered the vandalized machine in the first floor laundry room. 

The community director told the officers that his dorm is located near the laundry room. At approximately 4:30 a.m. that day he heard a noise coming from the area. When he checked the room at 6:30 a.m., he saw the damage and called UAPD.

According to the officers, approximately 75 percent of the machine’s glass display window was broken. Shards were scattered around the floor surrounding the machine. Also on the floor were two of the corkscrew-shaped pieces that dispense the items.

The machine’s lock and touchscreen exhibited strike marks. The damage appeared to have been inflicted with a rock, as there were rock fragments left in the machine.

A security camera in the laundry room captured footage of the suspect and the activity. 

Officers and the CD reviewed the footage, but the CD could not identify the suspect. However he told officers he believes the suspect is a Likens resident because the surveillance footage did not show the suspect entering or exiting the property.

The officers notified Tomdra, the company that owns the vending machine, of the damage.

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