POLICE BLOTTER: 11/15/12

Petty Larceny ($2,000 or less)

Approximately $120 worth of money and snacks was stolen last week from a vending machine in McLaurin Hall, according to a Winthrop police report.

A Winthrop police officer was dispatched to Bancroft Hall to meet with Marian Ayers, director of finance and business. Ayers said she was contacted by Amanda Maghsoud to say she had noticed that on Monday (Nov. 5) that the vending machine in the student lounge of McLaurin Hall was empty. When Maghsoud said she had returned to work on Nov. 7, the machine was still empty.

Ayers then contacted Queen City Vending, who then contacted Ayers back via e-mail on Nov. 8, who replied to say that the machine was locked and did not appear to have been tampered with and that the machine was restocked on Nov. 7.

The officer then asked Ayers and the owner when the machine should have last been filled, to which both people responded Nov. 2.

The reporting officer asked the owner if it was possible when the person filling the machine didn’t lock it and possibly someone had tried to make a purchase and it got stuck and when they shook the machine, the door popped open. The owner said that it was possible and that it could have just been a lock malfunction.

When the officer went out to McLaurin, the officer did not observe any visible signs of tampering. The case has been administratively closed.

Possession of Beer Under 21/Open Container/Beer

After noticing a passenger hanging out of the rear of a Chevy Cavalier driving on Alumni Dr. campus police stopped the vehicle containing nine passengers. After the vehicle came to a stop at Heritage Ln and Alumni Dr, the subject exited the vehicle while cursing and was warned by the officer to refrain from doing so, the report said.  The reporting officer then located a 12-ounce can of Natural Light in the back seat where the subject had been sitting. After being asked by the officer who the beer belonged to, the subject advised it was his. According to the report, the subject’s birth date is Mar. 21, 1994 making him 18-years-old. The subject was arrested for Possession of Beer Under 21 and Open Container of Beer. Campus police transported the subject to jail, according to the report.

Driving Under the Influence

At approximately 1:34 a.m., campus police observed a black vehicle weaving within its lane after making a left turn on Oakland Ave. After activating the camera system inside of the patrol car, the officer followed the vehicle. According to a police report, the officer stopped the vehicle after monitoring it for a while. Upon approach, the officer smelled an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle. The driver’s eyes appeared to be low and red in color, according to the report. The officer got the driver out of the vehicle for a Field Sobriety Test and advised her of her Miranda Rights. After failing the tests, the officer placed the subject under arrest for DUI and she was transported to Rock Hill Police Department to be administered a Data Master Test. Having tried to manipulate the machine, the subject was put down as a refusal and was issued a notice of suspension and the case was cleared by arrest, according to the report.