My Tuition Covers Rent Right?

On Aug. 10, an alarm went off for one of the auditoriums in the Integrated Learning Center. As the University of Arizona Police Department officer tried to gain access to the auditorium, he heard a door open. The officer expected to see a custodian or employee but the door closed before the officer saw who was there, according to police.

The UAPD officer requested additional officers to maintain a perimeter and assist with the search. While discussing a plan of action, dispatch notified officers of an interior motion alarm in the same auditorium. Once the officer entered the auditorium he noticed the lights were off and the room appeared to be vacant. The UAPD officer began searching the rows of chairs and saw a male lying down acting as though he was asleep. The officer identified him as a UA student.

The student, who was contacted on Aug. 3 for sleeping in the Harvill Building, said he was sleeping there because he is owed thousands of dollars from the UA for tuition and does not have a place to stay, according to police. Officers told the student he was trespassing and the Dean of Students was notified.

An Incriminating Swap

A UAPD officer responded to the Student Recreation Center on Aug. 11, in response to a possible narcotics call regarding a found backpack. A UA Rec Center employee said someone had stopped by the Lost and Found and dropped off a backpack.

When the UA employee searched the backpack to determine ownership, he said he found a clear Ziploc baggie containing a white powdery substance.

The officer used a narcotic kit to test for cocaine and the results were positive.

When the owner came to retrieve his backpack, he identified all other items in the bag. The officer then asked him about the cocaine and the owner looked shocked and said he had never done any drugs in his life, according to police.

The owner of the backpack was detained, placed into handcuffs and escorted to an interview room for questioning.

The backpack owner told police he had placed his backpack in the south gym with a group of other bags and went to work out in the weight room. When he returned, he noticed his backpack was gone and went to Lost and Found.

The UAPD officer found no sufficient chain of custody with the backpack to charge the male with possession of cocaine due to how many people have access to the gym and how long the bag was left unattended. 

Follow Amanda Oien on Twitter.