Hungry thieves, crooks afraid of the dark, and people flinging books and food are all in this week’s crime blotter.
Criminal masterminds make off with $20 in snacks
Workers watched two suspects scale a fence and access a construction site near the Montlake Boulevard pedestrian bridge last weekend. The witnesses contacted the UW Police Department shortly before 5 a.m. and, during the responding officer’s subsequent investigation, a witness reported that a vending machine on the property had been broken into. The perpetrator had used a piece of steel rebar and smashed the glass out of the front of the machine and made off with $20 worth of snacks. In addition to the discarded rebar and shoe print the thief left behind, investigators have video evidence to consider. Police have contacted the company that maintains the security camera, which was mounted 15 feet above the vending machine. The snacking suspects remain at large.
Woman causes chaos in libraries
A distraught woman in the library warranted a call to police last Tuesday afternoon. The woman, who police reported might suffer from a mental illness, caught the library staff’s attention after she started throwing her belongings on the floor in Suzzallo Library. She was reportedly yelling obscenities and then began ripping things off the walls and even throwing food at people. She eventually made her way over to the second floor of Odegaard Undergraduate Library where police detained her after witnessing her throwing books at people. The woman was barefoot and unable to provide police with any information. Officers were concerned for her safety and contacted the Seattle Fire Department, who ultimately transported her to the UW Medical Center for a mental health evaluation.
Thief risks up to $5,000 fine and 364 days in jail for 10 bucks in flashlights
The UWPD responded to a report of a car prowl in the W28 parking lot near 15th Avenue Northeast and Boat Street last weekend. Officers got the call just after 5 a.m. on Oct. 15 after a driver with the UW Transportation Services noticed that someone had rifled through a UW van parked in the lot. The employee reported that the only things missing from the van were two Energizer flashlights, each valued at $5. Police dusted for prints, but none were found. Nobody reported seeing a pink mechanical bunny with sunglasses and a bass drum, and police have no suspects.
UWPD provided information for this column.
Reach reporter Jimmy Lovaas at news@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @jimlovaas
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