Campus Watch: Below is a summary of campus activity reported to or observed by The University of Texas At Austin Police Department Patrol Officers between Wednesday 02/15/17 and Monday 02/20/17. ****Scam Alert**** With the beginning of tax season we have received multiple calls regarding attempted scams. These scams are very similar to the ones we have seen the last two years. An unknown caller clones the telephone number of a local law enforcement agency or a university's telephone number. The caller then uses the cloned number to call a student. The caller tells the student that the student owes back taxes, tuition, or failed to complete necessary paperwork. The caller then tells the student he or she owes money and will either be arrested or kicked- out of school if the student does not make a payment. The caller advises the student if they disconnect the phone call, a warrant will be issued for their arrest. The caller then walks the student through making a wire transfer. In recent cases, the caller has instructed students to purchase gift cards and subsequently provide the gift card number over the phone as payment. Please keep in mind, law enforcement agencies and universities will not demand payment over the phone. They also do not demand payment in the form of gift cards. If you receive this type of call, get information from the caller to include their name, the department they work for, the name of their supervisor and a case or file number. Disconnect the call and contact the department the person said they were calling from to verify the information. ****Theft/Burglary Alert**** UTPD has several arrests warrant for a suspect described in the attachment. Please view. He is known to frequent campus and commit property crimes against students, faculty and staff. If you see the suspect, do not approach him and call UTPD at 512-471-4441 or 911 if it is an emergency. Goldsmith Hall 310 Inner Campus Drive Criminal Trespass Warning: UTPD officers were summoned to Goldsmith Hall in regards to a report of unauthorized individuals entering the building. Officers quickly located the pair who were not UT affiliated. The officers determined that the area the two had entered was reserved for UT students, faculty, staff and invited guests. Officers issued the duo criminal trespass warnings. Occurred on 02/15/17 at 4:30 pm. 2700 Block of Guadalupe Street Driving While License Invalid/Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility: A UTPD officer observed a motor vehicle with expired license plates in the 2700 block of Guadalupe. The officer then initiated a traffic stop. The way this normally works is the driver sits in the vehicle and waits for the officer to address him or her. This particular driver, felt it would be more appropriate to exit his vehicle, reach into his pocket and approach the officer. The officer ordered the man to stop but the driver continued to approach the officer. A quick thinking second officer got the drop on the driver and placed him in handcuffs while he was distracted by the first officer. Officers identified the man and determined that his driver's license was suspended and that he did not have current liability insurance for his vehicle. The driver was taken into custody and transported to Travis County Central Booking. A search of the driver yielded a seemingly innocuous screwdriver in the pocket he kept reaching for. However this driver was a known gang member and has previously been convicted of assaulting a peace officer with a screwdriver. This time, everyone went home safe. Occurred on 02/16/17 at 1:53 am. Guadalupe Garage 417 W. 17th Street Graffiti: Fresh graffiti was found on an exterior wall of the parking garage. The estimated cost to remove the paint is $150.00. Discovered on 02/16/17 at 08:05 am. International Office 2400 Nueces Street Fraud: A UT Student received a phone call from someone who claimed to be a police officer from the Internal Revenue Service. The caller told the student that they owed an unpaid “student tax†totaling over $10,000 dollars. The caller told the student to purchase gift cards as a form of payment and that any delay would result in additional charges. The student complied with the caller, purchased $10,000 dollars in gift cards and gave the numbers to the scammer. Reported on 02/16/17 at 1:25 pm. Doty Fine Arts Building 2301 Trinity Street Theft: A UT student left her cell phone unattended in a classroom. When she returned to retrieve her cell phone it was gone. The estimated loss is $335.00. Reported on 02/16/17 at 6:36 pm. Clark Field 307 W. 21st Street Theft: A UT Student left his property unattended while participating in a sporting event. He then discovered that his property had been taken without his consent. Reported on 02/16/17 at 10:10 pm. Jester Residence Hall 201 E. 21st Street Assault: A UT student reported that he had been punched in the face by an unknown subject inside the building. The student stated that he saw an intoxicated man standing outside of the entry door in the residential area. The student allowed the suspect to enter the floor. The suspect then followed the student to the bathroom. The student told the suspect to leave. The suspect then asked the student for a hug. The student opened his arms for the hug and was rewarded with a punch to the face. The suspect then asked a witness if he was pledging a fraternity before leaving the area. Occurred on 02/16/17 at 10:30 pm. Littlefield House 302 W. 24th Street Criminal Trespass Warning: UTPD officers were summoned to the area in regards to a report of a man drinking alcohol in public. The officers were not surprised when they arrived and found exactly that. The officers issued the man a criminal trespass warning and ejected him from campus. Occurred on 02/16/17 at 11:10 pm. Nursing Building 1710 Red River Street Criminal Trespass Warning: A UTPD officer observed a man sleeping in a flower bed near the nursing building. While in our vernacular we call it a flower “bed,†it is not appropriate to use as a place to rest. The good people over at Landscape Services work hard to keep our campus beautiful. The man was issued a criminal trespass warning and ejected from the campus. Occurred on 02/17/17 at 12:08 am. Sutton Hall 305 W. Inner Campus Drive Criminal Trespass/Public Intoxication: UTPD officers were summoned to the area in regards to a report of a passed out individual. Officers quickly located the person and woke him. Officers observed that the man's speech was slurred and was emanating the odor of alcohol on his breath. Officers noted that the man had urinated on himself before their arrival. Officers summoned EMS who ultimately transported the man to a nearby hospital. In the course of the investigation, officers determined that the gentleman had previously been issued a criminal trespass warning. To ensure that the man's trespass does not go unrewarded, they secured an arrest warrant. Occurred on 02/17/17 at 01:15 am. Kinsolving Residence Hall 2605 Whitis Avenue Consumption of Alcohol Bya Minor: UTPD officers were dispatched to the residence hall in regards to a report of an intoxicated subject. Upon their arrival, they located a UT student who was indeed intoxicated. As the adage goes, you don't buy alcohol you merely rent it. This particular student “returned her alcohol†so to speak. The student was transported to a nearby hospital. No charges will be filed. Occurred on 02/17/17 at 02:23 am. Gregory Gym 2102 Speedway Theft: A UT student reported that his bicycle had been stolen from a bike rack near Gregory Gym. The student stated that he may have forgotten to lock his bicycle. Reported on 02/17/17 at 2:16 pm. University of Texas Administration Building 1616 Guadalupe Street Theft/Criminal Trespass: A bicycle belonging to The University of Texas was removed from a bike rack without permission. Steely eyed police communications operators were able to track the bikes movements and relay that information to officers. Officers quickly located and detained the thief and recovered the bicycle. The thief has been arrested by UTPD officers twice before for stealing these bicycles that are so easy to track. In addition to the theft charge, the offender will be charged with criminal trespass since he had been issued a prior warning. Occurred on 02/17/17 at 7:30 pm. Parking Lot 80 1900 Red River Street Criminal Mischief: Officers discovered tire tracks in flower beds near the lots. The cost of repairing the landscaping is estimated to be 500.00. Discovered on 02/18/17 at 6:39 am. Moore-Hill Residence Hall 214 E. 21st Street Possession of Drug Paraphernalia: UTPD officers were summoned to the residence hall in regards to the smell of burning marijuana. Officers easily located the source and spoke with the smokers. Despite the fact that the smell was still present, they told officers that they had not smoked any marijuana. The residents granted permission for officers to search the room. In what was a surprise to no one, officers located drug paraphernalia and a very small amount of residual marijuana. The case will be administratively cleared. Occurred on 02/18/17 at 1:49 pm. Frank Erwin Events Center 1701 Red River Theft: A volunteer left her cell phone unattended inside a restroom at the Erwin Center. When she returned to the room the cell phone was gone. The investigation is ongoing. Occurred on 02/18/17 at 3:58 pm. San Antonio Garage 2420 San Antonio Street Possession of Marijuana/Criminal Trespass Warning/Assist Other Law Enforcement Agency: A UT staff member reported an intoxicated subject inside the garage. UTPD officers quickly located the individual who was pulling items out of the back of a UT owned cart. Officers quickly learned that the man had a warrant for his arrest stemming for a parole violation. Officers took him into custody and located a small amount of marijuana on his person. He was issued a criminal trespass warning and transported to Travis County Central Booking. Occurred on 02/18/17 at 10:44 pm. 1900 Block of Rio Grande Alley Possession of Marijuana: A UTPD officer observed two men smoking marijuana in the alleyway. The officer quickly detained the men and identified them. The officer seized the marijuana as well as the associated paraphernalia. No charges will be filed. Occurred on 02/18/17 at 10:50 pm. 2800 Block of San Jacinto Boulevard Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor/Possession of a Fictitious Driver's License: A UTPD officer observed a female UT student “staggering and belching in the roadway.†The woman told officers that she had been drinking and was on her way home. She then told officers that she was returning home from a nearby fraternity house. When the woman attempted to hand her ID to the officers, officers observed that she had a second ID in her hand. Unsurprisingly, one of those IDs was found to be fraudulent. The woman was released to a sober party. The case was administratively cleared. Occurred on 02/18/17 at 11:35 pm. 400 Block of West 18th Street Driving While Intoxicated: A UTPD officer observed a vehicle driving the wrong way on a one way street. The officer initiated a traffic stop and spoke with the driver. The officer observed symptoms of alcohol intoxication in the driver. The driver admitted that he had been drinking and had taken a prescription drug that is commonly abused. After the usual tests, the officer determined that the driver had been operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was transported to Travis County Central Booking. Occurred on 02/19/17 at 12:59 am. Student Activity Center 2201 Speedway Criminal Trespass: UTPD officers were summoned to the Student Activity Center in regards to a report of a suspicious person. The person was said to be making people nervous. When officers arrived they were quickly able to locate the man in an area reserved for UT students, faculty, staff and invited guests. The gentleman first told officers that he was in the building to charge his cell phone. He then told officers that he came to campus to work in an unknown kitchen on campus. Officers determined that he did not work for UT nor did he have any kind of job interview lined up. Officers issued the man a criminal trespass warning. Occurred on 02/20/17 at 2:57 am The University of Texas at Austin Police Department responded to 116 Alarm Reports, 3 911 Hang Ups, 43 Traffic Violations, 18 Foot Patrols, 1 Fire, 32 Suspicious Activity Reports, 14 Assist Other Law Enforcement Agency Calls,13 Medical Emergencies and 80 Public Assists between Wednesday 02/15/17 and Monday 02/20/17.. Today's Campus Watch was prepared by: Officer M. Murphy To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://www.utexas.edu/police/campuswatch/subscribe.php/
