Sign stealing saga

A man called the University of Arizona Police Department on Monday to report that he saw two students on Cherry Avenue carry two large signs back to their car at 3:45 a.m. Officers barricaded the area. When the men saw that there were officers nearby, they threw the large Delta Delta Delta sorority signs into their vehicle and got in the car. When officers tried to slowly approach the car, one of the men tried to run away.

Officers caught the other student and put him in the back of the police car, where they asked him why they were stealing the signs. The student said they are rushing the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and were asked to steal the signs. The student said the next sorority they were going to steal signs from was Alpha Delta Pi. An officer asked the student if he had been drinking earlier in the evening. The student said yes. Officers searched him and found a fake driver’s license.
The other man eventually stopped running, and was caught and arrested. Both were cited for minor in possession of alcohol in body and second-degree burglary. The first student was also cited for possessing a fake driver’s license.

A ‘spaced out’ stealer

A Highland Market employee called UAPD to report that someone had shoplifted from the store at 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Officers spoke with the night supervisor, who said he saw a woman walk in with a big purse and slip candy and a 32-ounce blue Powerade into her purse while waiting for her breakfast burrito. When employees approached the student, she pulled the drink out of her purse and gave it back to them, but did not give back the candy. As employees asked her about the candy, she grabbed it and set it on the counter, then tried to walk out of the store.

As she was walking out of the store, officers stopped her. They asked why she had been trying to steal and if she was aware that stealing is illegal. She said she knew, that she made a mistake and that she just “spaced out.” Officers searched the rest of her purse and looked for other stolen items. They were unsuccessful, but found a bag of marijuana and a pipe. The student was arrested for possessing drugs, drug paraphernalia and shoplifting.

Flushing down the evidence

A UofA Bookstore employee reported that a woman tried to steal an item at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Officers arrived at the bookstore and detained the woman. Employees said she removed a tag on a red washcloth, which cost $2.99. The woman said she had no intention of stealing it until she went to grab the item and the tag ripped off. She said she became scared when the employee approached, so she went to the restroom and tried to flush the item down the toilet. When she walked back outside, officers were already waiting for her. She was cited and arrested for shoplifting. She told the officers that she learned her lesson, and that it would not happen again.