Crimewatch

Armed robbery

Two students were robbed at gunpoint on Lowerline near Willow Street Sunday at 2:30 a.m. Two men approached the students and demanded their belongings, taking a wallet and purse. One of the students sustained minor facial abrasions from the incident.

The Tulane University Police Department advises students not to resist an armed robbery.

Attempted auto theft

TUPD officers arrived at the Reily Center parking lot Feb. 23 at 4:19 p.m. in response to a possible attempted auto theft. A  witness told TUPD he saw a white government van with its engine running in the parking lot. When he went to check the van, he noticed the doors were unlocked, and the van�s ignition cylinder was lying in the cup holder.

TUPD officers searched the van and discovered a large rock on the floor of the van between the front seats, but did not find any other signs of forced entry. The officers checked the license plate of the van and discovered it was registered to the U.S. Army ROTC at Tulane. At 4:34 p.m., the ROTC recruiting officer was contacted, and both he and another colonel met with the officers. Both stated the last time the van was driven was Feb.17. The recruiting officer and colonel also told the officers the same van was stolen four weeks ago. That incident was not reported to TUPD because ROTC had not realized the van was stolen until the New Orleans Police Department contacted their office to tell them the van had been found.

Drug violation

Four TUPD officers were dispatched to Monroe Hall Feb. 22 at 9:01 p.m. to investigate a possible drug law violation. The reporting resident advisers and area director told the officers there was an odor of marijuana coming from one of the rooms. One officer knocked on the door of the room and when the student answered, the officer told the student he was suspected of a drug violation and read his Miranda Rights. The student refused to allow his room to be searched. The area director then contacted Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Dan Nadler, and TUPD gained permission to search the room.

The officers found drug paraphernalia including a glass pipe, a small wood and brass hookah and a small bag of vegetable matter. The officers also found a Bowie knife under the bed, and two more knives in the student�s desk. The vegetable matter tested positive for marijuana and was used up in testing. The knives and drug paraphernalia are in TUPD custody as evidence.

The student was escorted to the Office of Public Safety and referred to Student Affairs for disciplinary action.

Simple burglary

The UNICCO Janitorial Services Office, in Josephine Louise Hall, contacted TUPD Feb. 22 at 9:52 a.m. to report the theft of an Advance Matador buffing machine. The reporting person told the TUPD officer that a UNICCO worker had checked out the machine for cleaning services on campus Feb. 18. and later returned it to the UNICCO office. He told the officer that when he questioned the UNICCO employees about the buffing machine, no one had any information. The officer could not find any signs of forced entry.

Criminal damage to property

A TUPD officer arrived at Richardson Memorial building Feb. 21 at 9:10 a.m. in response to a complaint of criminal damage. The reporting person said that the undergraduate admissions counselor had found the electrical cords of a 48-inch Sony television and VCR severed at 8:45 a.m. that morning. When the counselor was setting up for a meeting, she noticed the cords were severed.  She stated the last time the television was used was sometime in late April 2004.

The officer examined the wires and noticed an accumulation of rust and debris, indicating the damage was old and had gone undetected for several months.

Unidentified biohazard waste

A TUPD officer on patrol near the Student Health Center Feb. 22 at 4:02 a.m. discovered 12 to 15 red medial biohazard bags in a pile on the south side of the health center. All of the bags appeared full, but the officer did not handle any of the bags or touch any of the contents. Director of Emergency Preparedness Louis Mayer and David White of Tulane risk management were contacted.

Shoplifting

A man was seen stealing a white sweatshirt from the Wilson Center gift shop Tuesday at 8:52 p.m. A TUPD officer broadcast the information and a description of the man, approximately 45, via police radio. Another TUPD officer found the man near the rear exit of the Wilson Center and escorted him back to the gift shop.

The man�s clothes appeared extremely bulky, and when he was asked to raise his shirt, a long-sleeved Tulane sweatshirt that appeared new was underneath. The man was read his Miranda Rights and, when asked about the shirt, said he had intended to pay for it before leaving the building.

The man was placed under arrest and informed that he would receive a municipal summons from NOPD. After being taken to the Office of Public Safety for photographing, the man was released with a copy of a summons for a court appearance.

Bicylcle thefts

A TUPD officer arrived at the Warren House bicycle racks at 6:46 p.m. Feb. 22 in response to a reported bicycle theft. The owner of the bicycle stated that she last saw her bicycle Feb. 21 at 4 p.m., when she locked it to the bicycle racks. When she returned the next day at 6:45 p.m., the bicycle was gone. The cable lock that she had used was still attached to the bicycle racks and had been cut with an unknown tool.

A student reported her bicycle stolen from the Wilson Athletic Center bicycle racks at 11:13 p.m. Feb. 23. She told TUPD that she had not locked her bicycle to the racks, and had left her bicycle near the racks at 7 p.m. When she returned at 9 p.m., she found it missing.

-compiled by

Meera Unnithan

main section editor