He set fire to the couch

UAPD contacted the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity after the Tucson Fire Department noticed burning items in the house’s courtyard at 9:04 p.m. on Jan. 16.

TFD observed a “good amount” of smoke coming from the courtyard, before they “flagged down” UAPD to investigate the scene.

When police arrived, a member of the fraternity was extinguishing a couch that had been set on fire. Police then spoke with the current and former president of the fraternity.

One student took responsibility for the fire and said he was burning scrap items to make their disposal easier. He added he hadn’t warned other members of the fire beforehand.

When police visited the courtyard, they noticed several large planks of burned wood mixed with smaller charred items. UAPD photographed the scene and submitted the photos to property and evidence. A code of conduct was forwarded to the dean of students.

Great expectations

A “very stressed” UA student was taken to Counseling and Psychological Services at 3:19 p.m. on Jan. 16. Police spoke with the student at the Kaibab-Huachuca Residence Hall after he’d told his resident assistant he was worried about speaking with his parents, and believed UAPD could better handle the situation.

Prior to winter break, the student took a medical withdrawal from the UA. He hadn’t told his parents who, upon finding out, became very upset with him.

The student said he did so because he felt overwhelmed by classes and didn’t believe he was meeting his parents’ expectations.

Soon after returning for the spring semester, the student’s parents found out about his withdrawal and were “overwhelming” him with phone calls. They said they’d come to visit him this weekend.

The student said he was not having thoughts of hurting himself, but was stressed by the situation. He added that last semester he had seen people at CAPS and believed it was helping.

UAPD then took the student to speak with someone at CAPS and told the student to call UAPD if further help is needed.

Broken signal

A UA student’s car was struck by an unknown vehicle while parked at Cherry Parking Garage on Jan. 15. The car was hit between 6:20 a.m. and 3:45 p.m., while stationed near the top of the second level up ramp.

A UAPD officer was dispatched to the garage at 7:36 a.m. on Jan. 16, after the student told them that her car had been struck sometime the day prior. She hadn’t noticed the damage until that morning, but observed a broken turn light signal cover near the back of her car before leaving the day before.

The damage to the car was consistent with a vehicle conducting a wide turn up the ramp and swiping the student’s vehicle, according to UAPD. The damage was located on the rear bumper. The remnants from the found turn signal cover were taken back to the UAPD station to be reconstructed. There are currently no suspects or witnesses of the incident.