Woman vandalizes car repeatedly in parking lot rage
A female suspect was reported as writing “Fuck You,” several times on a silver Honda CRV located in Parking Lot 1 on Wednesday night. The message was written in red lipstick on the windshield and scratched into the hood of the car. A phallic image and another message reading, “I’m nice to elderly,” were also written onto the car.
According to the police report, the owner of the vehicle claimed that the woman, “may have been pissed that [the vehicle’s owner] had taken her parking spot.”
Reported assault in ongoing dispute between college employees
The University Police Department received an assault and battery call from the College of Business Administration offices on Thursday. After investigation of the incident, officers with the UPD state that this assault occurred between two college employees working out of the office of the CBA.
One of the employees had grabbed the other while saying that they wanted to show the second office employee something, according to the UPD report from officers on the scene. The reported assault did not seem to be reflective of an overtly violent action “like a punch or strike,” according to Lieutenant Richard Goodwin of the UPD.
“What this turns out to be is an ongoing dispute between two employees that apparently had been going on for quite a while,” Goodwin said. “We’re taking statements. We are investigating it. It will probably go to the office of the Ombudsman so they can get a resolution between these two employees.”
Anti-gay graffiti in dance center restroom
Graffiti reading, “Gay is not the way,” was found in the gender neutral bathroom in the dance center Thursday morning. The vandalism was shown to campus police, who notified janitorial services to promptly clean the wall.
This makes for the fourth incident of bathroom graffiti targeted at minority groups since the start of the semester.
“Unfortunately, we have more of these,” Goodwin said. “This seems to be the current trend because I don’t recall seeing this many [incidents of vandalism] in years. The presumption on my part is that these individuals are making statements in regard to the political atmosphere going on right now.”
Bikes stolen from Parkside, Liberal Arts building
A blue Mongoose mountain bike secured with a chain and key lock was reported stolen to the University Police station Monday morning. The theft occurred sometime between Sunday and shortly after midnight on Monday at the bike racks near the Q building in the Parkside College dorms.
A teal Huffy Regatta cruising bike was reported stolen from the Parkside commons Wednesday afternoon. The bike had been locked with a cable lock at the racks near building M. A third bike with a bright yellow frame and blue tires was reported stolen from the racks at Liberal Arts 4 on Feb. 28.
Goodwin cautioned bicycle owners on campus to invest in a U-Lock, as cable and chain locks can be cut more easily and quickly.
Backpacks Stolen at Parkside Dining Hall
Two backpacks that had been stowed near or in lockers in the Parkside dining hall have been reported stolen. The first incident occurred Monday between and 1 and 2 p.m., and the second incident was reported just after noon on Tuesday.
“Honestly, it’s been awhile since we’ve had backpack thefts,” Goodwin said. “Basically, the rule of thumb is don’t leave your stuff unattended.”
Bike tires stolen from Parkside, left behind when police arrive on scene
A male suspect wearing a black hoodie and black pants was caught in the act of removing a tire off of a bike near the Q and G buildings at Parkside College around 3 a.m. on Friday. After the incident was reported to police, the suspect fled the scene, leaving behind the tire.
A second tire that had been removed from another bike was also found north of the L building at Parkside. Both tires were recovered by police and taken to the UPD station.
“The assumption I would make is that [the suspect] was probably after the whole bike,” Goodwin said. “They may have realized in the process that they were being observed, so they dumped the wheel to make good their escape. I do know that when people don’t secure their bike properly and they just secure a wheel, a bad guy can come along and take a bike without a wheel and goes along to get another wheel. It may be the case that they stole another bike somewhere and they wanted a wheel.”
Fight breaks out over misunderstanding in parking structure
A scuffle between two men occurred in Parking Structure 2 near the southside elevator Wednesday afternoon. The man who reported the incident to campus police claimed that he thought the other man was attempting to break into a car. Though officers on the scene noticed scrapes on the two men, neither wanted medical treatment at the scene nor did either press charges.
“To me, it sounds like you have two people that realized it was a misunderstanding,” Goodwin said. “They brushed themselves off and wanted to go their own ways. Between this and the other car getting vandalized, it seems the parking structure is becoming a nasty place.”
Car burglar caught in act in Carpenter Center parking lot
The owner of a vehicle parked in Lot 12 near the Carpenter Performing Arts Center discovered a man inside his car around 2 p.m. on Feb. 28. The vehicle’s owner confronted the suspect, described as a black male in blue jeans and wearing “tactical boots and an army backpack,” according to the report taken by campus police.
The suspect told the vehicle’s owner that he was working for a repo company, before fleeing the scene toward Atherton Street. By the time police arrived on the scene, the suspect was not able to be apprehended by campus police.
“Obviously, that was a line he used to get away,” Goodwin said.
According to Goodwin, nothing was reported as stolen from the car after the suspect had been interrupted.
Possible theft at USU Business Office probably a miscalculation
The UPD received a report from the University Student Union Business Office that there was a $450 shortage in their count on the morning of Feb. 28. Campus police began a still ongoing investigation by first reviewing security camera footage at that time.
However, according to Martiz Ware, the director of administrative services at the USU Business office, he said it was likely a simple mistake over a transfer of funds. Ware had reviewed the security footage and did not see a theft occur.
“I’m almost 100 percent certain that this was a miscalculation over what was deposited,” Ware said.