Bookstore “high”-jacking

A non-UA affiliated man was criminally cited and released for shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia on Thursday.

A University of Arizona Police Department officer was sent to the A-Store at Main Gate Square after its loss prevention staff was unable to stop a man from leaving the store after shoplifting.

The man, wearing a Lakers jersey and black shorts, was believed to have taken two lanyards and a money clip. The two staff members asked him to come back inside the store after he had been seen taking merchandise, but the man said, “I didn’t take anything, and I am in a hurry.”

One of the staff members informed the man that if he did not comply, the staff member would call UAPD, and the shoplifter said, “Do what you need to do,” and walked off.

Once he noticed that he was being followed, the man ran to the Jack in the Box parking lot and entered a silver Hyundai. With this information, another officer was able to stop the man.

He admitted to only stealing a blue UA wallet, so the first officer searched the vehicle. Not only did the officer find the missing money clip, but he also discovered a pink cloth bag with a syringe and a spoon which appeared to have heroin residue on it. The man denied owning the paraphernalia, saying, “I don’t know what that is, but it is not mine.”

The officer also discovered a 2-inch glass pipe, which the man admitted to owning, saying that he uses the pipe to smoke marijuana.

The shoplifter was then cited and released, and the paraphernalia was placed into Property and Evidence. The total value stolen was $24.98.

A cracked-up criminal

A non-UA affiliated man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of stealing bikes.

A UAPD officer was on his way to another call when he noticed a man matching a description of a bike theft perpetrator near the Highland Commons with a gold-colored bike.

The officer stopped to talk with the suspect and observed him placing two pairs of wire cutters into a grocery bag. The man also had a gray and black cable lock on his lap, which he threw behind the wall while the officer turned to look at the bike.

Another officer arrived on the scene and asked the man if he had any weapons on him. He replied, “I have a pipe.” The suspect then handed over a metallic crack pipe about 3 1/2 inches long.

The suspect then claimed that the bike next to him was his, and that he had the wire cutters to work on his bike. When asked about the cable lock, the man denied having it and throwing it behind the wall.

Two witnesses then arrived and identified the suspect as the man who had stolen the bike. After these statements, the officer arrested the man, searched him and found a second glass pipe in his possession. Both of the pipes tested positive for crack cocaine.

The man was issued a one-year exclusionary order and charged with possession of burglary tools and drug paraphernalia, as well as theft and criminal trespassing in the third degree. Another officer then escorted the man to Pima County Jail.