POLICE BLOTTER - 2 Dec. 2010

Compiled by Jonathan McFadden

LARCENY OF BICYCLE (11/18/10)

At 1 p.m.., a male student reported the alleged theft of his bicycle at the Winthrop Police Department.

He said he left his bike, a Next 26-inch men’s 18-speed mountain bike, unsecured at the bike rack adjacent to Richardson Hall on November 7.

He said he noticed his bike was missing at 2:45 p.m. as he was leaving for class. He said he lost his bike lock and was, therefore, unable to secure it in the rack.

He did not register the bike with the Winthrop Police, nor did he record the bike’s serial number.

The student also could not provide any information regarding any potential suspects or witnesses.

Because of a gap of time between the actual larceny and the student reporting it, the case was further hindered.

This case has been administratively closed pending development of any new leads.

POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL UNDER 21 (11/19/10)

At 4:05 a.m., officers reported to Richardson Lobby to meet with a female student who said a male had been in her room.

One of the officers spoke with the student while another reviewed video of the suspect.

The student said she was studying in her room the night before and must have fallen asleep without locking her residence hall room door.

She said she woke up after feeling her blanket being pulled off of her. She opened her eyes and saw a male student standing over her.

She sat up in bed and asked the male what he was doing. The male then turned and walked out the room, shutting the door behind him.

The student woke her roommate up and asked her if she knew who the guy was.

The roommate said she did not see or know him.

The roommate then asked the student if she knew who the guy was.

“No,” the student said.

The student opened the door and saw the male standing at the elevator. She asked him what he was doing in her room.

“I was looking for the bathroom,” he said.

The student then shut her door and asked her roommate what she should do. Her roommate told her to tell the R.A.

The student went next door to the R.A.’s room and told her what happened. The R.A. told the student to go downstairs to the lobby and report it to the front desk so Campus Police could be contacted.

The student went to the front desk and gave a detailed description of the male.

She said he was a white male, wearing a white T-shirt, navy shorts, black socks and no shoes.

While viewing video footage of the elevator, one of the officers identified the male as being in the elevator at 4:10 a.m. on the seventh floor and travelling to the fifth floor.

The video footage caught him getting on the elevator at 4:13 a.m., going to the lobby, then going back up to the 7th floor and turning to the right toward the R.A.’s room.

One of the reporting officers went to room 705 and made contact with the male, who was wearing the same clothes the female student described.

The officer took the male to the lobby and asked him why he had been in a female’s room.

He said he did not recall being in anyone’s room and that he must have been sleepwalking, which he has done in the past. 

One of the officers asked the male what he had done the previous evening. He said he went to the DiGiorgio Campus Center and played on the X-Box, then returned to his residence hall room where he stayed for the rest of the night.

The officer noticed that his pupils were very large and asked him if he had been drinking.

The student said no.

The officer told this to his fellow officer, who asked the student the same question. Once again, the student said no.

The second officer asked the student if he would give a breath sample using the PAS VR.

The student said yes.

The officer administered the PAS VR breath test to the student and it registered that the student had alcohol in his system.

The student said he drank one drink earlier in the night.

The officers asked the student why he told them he had not been drinking and he said he was afraid to tell the truth.

The student said he is currently in the Alcohol Education Program for a prior ticket for alcohol possession, and had just attended his first meeting earlier that day.

The officers arrested the student and transported him to Rock Hill City Jail.