Peeing on cop cars, copper thieves, and con men. No, this isn’t the name of a new band. These are the things you will read about in this week’s crime blotter — select incidents from the reports of the UW Police Department (UWPD) and the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
Copper thieves hit UW to the tune of thousands
Thieves made off with $6,500 worth of copper pipes and construction material last week. According to police, unknown suspects broke into a storage area in the N11 parking garage by Haggett Hall by prying open the door to the room and cutting the lock to the storage area where the material was stored. Copper pipes and wiring are hot commodities for thieves, as metal recycling facilities pay up to $2.75 per pound for the virtually untraceable goods.
Triad member or just another scammer phishing for money?
A professor in the Magnuson Health Sciences building received a disturbing call Oct. 11 when an unknown man left veiled threats on her voicemail. The suspect claimed to be affiliated in some way with the Triad gang. Whether or not the suspect is actually affiliated with the infamous Asian gang is unknown, but the suspect claimed the professor’s husband owed him money. The suspect then followed up with a number of similarly threatening emails, all of which implied that there would be no more trouble if the victim merely paid them $890.
The UWPD officer who took the report advised the victim that the suspect may be “fishing.” Or, in other words, the suspect may be trying to con them out of money. The victim’s spouse said he had no idea who the caller was or what they were talking about, so police returned the suspect’s phone call. Police report the phone number belonged to another man’s cellphone. The cellphone owner is also the owner of a marijuana dispensary.
The Honey Bucket with the flashing lights
Seattle police arrested a man early last week when they caught him peeing on the door of their police cruiser. The ill-advised pit stop occurred just after 4:45 p.m. on the corner of Northeast 47th Street and University Way. According to SPD, police saw the man in “mid-stream” and had him stop and place his hands on the wall. As the police frisked him, they grew concerned when a crowd gathered, so they transported the man to the North Precinct and cited him for public urination.
UWPD and the Seattle Police Department provided information for this column.
Reach reporter Jimmy Lovaas at news@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @jimmylovaas
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