By Jesse Gunther
Tip of the Week: BYU Police advise students to call University Police to report any emails that threaten them physically or attempt to extort them for money. These are common occurrences and are usually scams, according to BYU Police Officer Arnold Lemmon.
Arrest
Feb. 27: A student was pulled over by BYU police near the Wilkinson Student Center. When the officer ran the student”s license through the system, he discovered the driver was driving under a suspended license. He was arrested with several citations.
March 1: A student called BYU police when she observed four individuals at the duck pond attempting to catch ducks in a net. The officer who responded saw the individuals leaving the duck pond and ran after them. After being questioned the students said they were simply hanging out and did not know that they should not tamper with the ducks. After looking up their information the officer discovered that one of them had a warrant out for his arrest. The 23-year-old male was wanted for failing to appear in court for a speeding ticket hearing. He was arrested and transported to Grantsville, Utah. None of the suspects were BYU students.
Death threat/Extortion
Feb. 27: A BYU professor received threatening e-mails from a man claiming to be a hit man hired to take his life. He told the professor he would not make the hit if he received $10,000. The professor knew it was a scam and called BYU police. This type of scam is common and often originates in Nigeria.
Fire
March 2: A Heritage Halls resident called BYU police after discovering smoke and a bad smell coming from an electrical outlet. BYU police responded and discovered that the outlet was faulty and there was no fire on the premises.
Theft
Feb. 27: A BYU student had his backpack stolen from an unlocked locker in the Smith Fieldhouse. The backpack contained a portable PlayStation, wallet and cell phone. His credit cards have been used three times in Spanish Fork. The theft has been handed over to a detective and is currently under investigation.
Feb 28: A visitor left his laptop in a carrying case at the Smith Fieldhouse. When he returned for it he found it had been stolen. The computer and case were worth $1,500.
March 3: A bicycle was stolen from a bike rack outside the Cluff Building. The owner of the bike claimed he had locked it and that the locks were cut. The bike was worth $500.
Criminal Mischief
Feb. 28: BYU custodians called police when they discovered pink ink marks written on the walls in the Joseph F. Smith Building. The individual who wrote on the walls was caught on camera but was not identifiable. Police will clean up the image and investigate further.
March 2: A BYU student called the police when she returned to her car to discover someone had broken her window. Nothing was stolen from the car, which was parked in a lot next to the Indoor Practice Facility.
Suspicious Behavior
Feb. 29: BYU police received a call reporting a white male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt walking around Maeser Hill hitting people. When officers responded, the suspicious male was not on the premises.
March 1: BYU police received a call reporting suspicious behavior in a Heritage Hall parking lot. Individuals were seen running around the parking lot and looking into cars. Upon investigation it was determined that the students were chasing deer around the lot.
