By Andy North
Highlights from the police beat for Fall semester 2000. ANIMAL CALL
A BYU employee was walking near the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center on Sept. 6 around 8:50 a.m. when she heard the cries of a kitten. She found the animal hiding near by and attempted to determine the problem. As she picked up the small kitten, the animal attacked scratching and biting her. When the police arrived they were unable to locate the offending feline.
ACCIDENT
On Sept. 25, a pizza delivery car hit a woman walking across the street at the intersection of 900 E. and 1430 N. The car was westbound on 1430 N. as the sun began to set. The driver of the vehicle said the sun was in his eyes so he could not see the pedestrian. Paramedics examined the woman and found only minor injuries on her leg. The woman declined an ambulance transport to a hospital.
Police responded to a report of a fire in the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center on Oct. 16 at 5:30 p.m. When officers arrived students reported a burning smell in the building. Upon investigation the officers found the smell coming from a microwave that contained overcooked food.
The windshield of a student’s Jeep was damaged by a security gate south of campus on Nov. 22. As the student drove under the raised arm the gate malfunctioned and came down on the vehicle’s windshield. Total damage is estimated at $300.
VANDALISM
On Oct. 1, between 1 and 2 a.m. liquid laundry detergent was poured on a University Police patrol car. When the officer returned to the car he began an investigation. A male student near the scene later admitted to vandalizing the vehicle. The student was cited for disorderly conduct.
A men’s restroom in the Thomas L. Martin Building was vandalized on Oct. 6 at 3:30 p.m. Human feces was smeared all over one of the toilets. Police found the impression of fingers in the material and said the suspect smeared the excrement with his hands. The suspect was described as a heavy-set male, 24 to 25- years-old, and wearing a black t-shirt with tan cargo pants. Police have no suspects.
On Oct. 26, the elevator buttons of Deseret Towers W-Hall were glued. The vandals used SuperGlue to render every button useless. Damage to the elevator totaled $630. No one has been cited for the incident.
SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR
At 11:20 p.m. on Sept. 8, a man was reported as having a gun just outside the northeast corner of the BYU bookstore. When police arrived they found a man with a plastic handgun shooting rubber pellets at students. The suspect discontinued the action upon police request.
At 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 18, a man approached a student on 1230 N. The student reported that the man seemed semi-incoherent as he talked about 8-year-old children. He said children are innocent and should not be molested. He mentioned Jesus, made several lewd comments and then said he had to go talk to someone on campus. Police have no suspects.
A male suspect was cited for gross lewdness and trespassatory voyeurism for his conduct on Nov. 10. A resident of Wymount Terrace called to report an unknown man in a black coat with a video camera in an area near the apartments. When police arrived they found an unattended video camera videotaping an open window of one of the apartments. The officers on the scene confiscated the camera and returned to the station. Later the same day, a man arrived in the police station to ask about a missing video camera. An officer confirmed the man as the owner of the equipment and arrested him for the incident. The man was later released but the video equipment was retained as evidence by the University Police.
A male student reported a disturbance near his apartment in Wymount Terrace on Oct. 12. Police responded to the report and found the ROTC doing its morning exercises. No citation was issued.
Just before the BYU football game on Oct. 6, a man tried to drive past a police barricade to get to the Universal Campus Credit Union. When an officer told the man he could not enter, the man became angry and verbally abusive. He claimed he had to make a deposit before 5 p.m. and did not want to use the alternate entrance. The man then jumped out of the car and sprinted into the bank. Moments later he returned to his vehicle and left without further argument. Police filed a report but have not pressed charges.
INDECENT EXPOSURE
At 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 24, a female student was leaving the indoor tennis courts near the Smith Field House when she encountered a man in a hooded sweatshirt and no pants. After the man exposed himself he ran to a bike nearby and rode away. The man is described as tall with brown hair. Police have no suspects.
THEFT
A student’s Jeep was stolen between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. while he was at church on Oct. 22. While walking south on 900 E. the student saw two girls driving his jeep heading north. He ran into the road to stop the suspects but they swerved and kept driving. Later a female contacted the University Police and asked if anyone had reported a stolen vehicle. She reported that she was supposed to pick up a Jeep her brother had borrowed and return it to Heber City. The keys would not work in the Jeep so she tried the column and it started. She delivered the Jeep to Heber City but later realized it was not the right vehicle when her brother called to ask why the Jeep was still in the parking lot. The Jeep was returned undamaged and the woman paid for the gas used. No citation was issued.
Two male suspects were caught stealing toilet paper from Deseret Towers R Hall on Oct. 18 at 2:45 a.m. The two were seen and detained by a resident assistant of the hall. When police confiscated the property the suspects said they were taking the toilet paper because they could not afford to buy it on their own. Both suspects were charged with theft.
On Oct. 22, between 6:40 and 7:45 a.m. a resident of Wymount Terrace reported that a man had been loitering near some cars in the parking lot for more than an hour. When officers arrived they found the suspect trying to leave the area. In the suspect’s vehicle officers found pornographic magazines, 20 pairs of women’s undergarments, and a pair of binoculars. The suspect stated that he knew his activity was inappropriate and promised to not return. Police have banned the suspect from BYU property.
A number eight billiard ball was stolen from the lobby of Deseret Towers V Hall around 11:45 p.m. on Sept. 2. Witnesses overheard the man say he needed the ball for a scavenger hunt. The billiard ball is valued at $5.
A family in Wymount Terrace reported a stolen bike on Sept. 16. The bike of their 3-year-old child had been missing since Sept. 14. The case was later closed when the bike was located in a bush near the apartment.
