Man accused of stealing skateboard, cited for MIP
A man was cited and released on charges of minor in possession of alcohol on Oct. 15 at 2:55 a.m.

The University of Arizona Police Department was called to help Tucson Police Department with a call at Seventh Street and Santa Rita Avenue. When police arrived, police made contact with a UA student who was being accused of stealing a skateboard.

An officer asked the man what was going on, and he replied that he was trying to help find the skateboard and asked several times if he could leave to find it. Police noticed that the man’s speech was slow and slurred. The man also smelled of intoxicants and had bloodshot, watery eyes.

The officers asked the man for his identification several times, and he searched his wallet more than once, but could not find his ID. The man had forgotten that he gave his ID to a TPD officer only a few minutes prior. Reports noted that at times, the man’s speech was incoherent and did not make sense. The student denied consuming alcohol, saying, “”No, no I haven’t drank,”” and, “”I was just walking.””

When the man was cited, police had to explain to him several times what his MIP citation meant. The man asked the officer multiple times what happened if he did not sign the ticket. Officers reported they had to explain that to the man five times.

He was cited and released on charges of being a minor in possession of alcohol and referred to the Dean of Students Office.

Police respond to threat of suicide
Police took a student to Kino Community Hospital on Oct. 15 around 1 a.m. after reporting that she had mental health problems.

Police responded to Babcock Inn Residence Hall after a person from the Southern Arizona Mental Health Center called them and said that a female student was on the telephone line threatening to kill herself via prescription medications. The SAMHC employee kept the woman on the line until police were able to arrive.

Police arrived at the scene and knocked twice before the woman answered. Police asked if they could come in and talk to the woman, and she said yes.

One officer began talking with the woman, trying to get information about what she had ingested that evening. She told officers that she drank alcohol, which included two 24-ounce bottles of Corona beer, a small bottle of rum, and that she was in the process of drinking orange juice and vodka. The woman told the officer that she had not taken any pills because she “”was going to drink tonight.””

The officer continued making small talk with the girl while another officer attempted to call the woman at SAMHC to get information that may be necessary to commit the woman involuntarily.

The SAMHC employee was off-duty already, but another employee who was familiar with the case talked to the officer. The woman asked officers if they would like someone from the Mobile Acute Crisis team to respond to assist in attempting to get the woman to voluntarily commit herself. Police said yes and waited for them to arrive.

When they arrived on scene, the two members of the MAC team tried to talk the woman into voluntarily committing herself to a hospital for observation and/or treatment. She refused. The woman told them that if she was left alone, she would “”drink, cut herself, drink, cut herself.”” She then told them that she would not care if someone came in and shot her. Based on those statements and the fact that the woman was banging her head against the cinder block wall while talking to the members of the MAC team, they were able to draft a petition to involuntarily commit the woman. Kino Community Hospital was contacted and said they would accept her there.

When the petition was completed, the woman was transported to Kino Community Hospital for observation and treatment. Police noted that the woman had previously voluntarily committed herself to University Medical Center for similar symptoms. The dorm’s resident assistant and on-call community director were notified of the situation.

Shoplifter caught stealing ‘$5 pair of glasses’
Police were dispatched to the UofA Bookstore on reports of a shoplifting on Oct. 16 around 3 p.m.

Police were called about someone shoplifting from the bookstore and then running away from security southbound toward the administrative parking garage. The responding officer proceeded westbound on Second Street from the UA Police Department and stopped at the entrance of the parking garage, because he was advised that the bookstore’s loss prevention team was out with the subject just east of the parking garage. The officer then made contact with the team and suspect.

The officer spoke with a bookstore loss prevention officer who told him that he was advised by the manager that a man was in the store who “”looked suspicious.”” The employee said he then followed the suspect on security cameras and saw him pick up a pair of reading glasses and walk outside of the store with them in his hands.

The employee said that he caught up with the man on the east side of the parking garage. The man gave him back the glasses, but refused to return to the bookstore.

Police then questioned the man, and he told officers: “”I don’t have a pair of glasses anymore. I’m sorry, but a $5 pair of glasses isn’t worth this trouble, so I handed them back to them.””

He admitted that he stole them from the bookstore from a display case. He also told the officer that he knew it was wrong, but he “”did not have the substantial funds to pay for them.””

The man was cited and released on charges of shoplifting. He was advised that he was not allowed to return to any of the UofA Bookstores. The total value of the merchandise was $13.79.