Police: Theft results in employee firing at PIT
On Aug. 27, Gregory Armenta, a kitchen employee at The Pit, asked his supervisor David Wilson if he could keep his cell phone in Wilson’s office so it wouldn’t get wet while he washed dishes.
Returning for his phone hours later, Armenta discovered it was missing. After a fruitless search, Armenta and Wilson realized it had been stolen, and Wilson ordered the kitchen doors to be locked and for all kitchen employees to stay in the room. At this point, Wilson called UNMPD who reported that employee Andrew Ramirez was the only person who demanded he be allowed to use the restroom, according to the police report. After Ramirez returned, Wilson ordered his assistant to search the restroom. According to the report, the cell phone was found with the battery removed so the GPS locator could not be activated. When police asked Ramirez why the cell phone was in the restroom after he was the only one allowed to leave the kitchen area, Ramirez denied any involvement with the incident, allegedly stating “Why would I want that piece of s*** phone?” the report said. Armenta told police he was not interested in pressing charges, but Wilson, who suspected Ramirez of many other thefts in and around the kitchen area, informed Ramirez his employment was terminated and asked him to vacate the property. Ramirez’s probation officer received a copy of the report for review as he is currently under supervision for prior theft charges.
One lead on stolen laptop case, according to report
UNMPD responded to a suspected larceny on Aug. 28. Kara Bobroff discovered her $1,800 laptop was missing 25 minutes after she noticed a man standing in the hallway talking on his cell phone near Bobroff’s office, according to a police report. John Avlyn, listed in the report as a witness, told police he had seen the suspect around and that he had confronted him. The suspect said he was just passing through, at which point Avlyn asked him to leave and watched him leave campus. At the time of the report, Bobroff had not yet provided the officer with the serial numbers for the laptop, and so it was not listed in the National Crime Information Center database. The case is considered to be closed pending further leads, according to the report.
Report: Woman set off Bookstore alarm, had new textbooks in bag
A UNM police officer was at the UNM Bookstore on Aug. 30 when a woman left the store, setting off the theft detection system, according to a police report. She continued walking despite security calling after her to stop, so the officer retrieved the suspect. The security officer checked her bag and found two new textbooks, worth a total of about $400. Customer Service manager Michael Basile took the books and did an inventory check that showed the two books were missing from the inventory. The suspect, who did not have a receipt on hand for the books, said her father paid for them in cash the week prior, according to a police report. According to the report, Basile reviewed security camera footage which shows the suspect in the areas where the books were located. Basile told police he would wait until he could review the entire video to decide whether or not he wanted to prosecute the suspect. Police identified the suspect, whose name was not provided in the report, and released her, according to the police report.
Drunk CNM student caused scene, wouldn’t leave University Stadium, police say
On Sept. 1, UNMPD was dispatched to the southeast side of the University Stadium where a reportedly intoxicated CNM student, Kraig Valdez, was causing a scene, attracting onlookers as he was “being very boisterous with officers,” according to a police report. Officers escorted Valdez from the stadium and advised him not to re-enter. When officers were dispatched again to the stadium to deal with a man who was attempting to jump the fence, they found that Valdez had re-entered the stadium, and would not leave the premises, the report said. Valdez was arrested for criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct, transported to the UNMPD then to Metropolitan Detentions Center where he was booked without further incident.
Cops: Drunk Lobo Village resident hosted party, confused about simple questions
On Sept 1., UNMPD was dispatched to Lobo Village in response to a call about a loud party. Upon arrival, the officer found that some of the people in the apartment were underage and had clearly been drinking alcohol, according to a police report. Greg Garcia, the resident who was of age, claimed he did not have ID, but told the officer his name and birth date. According to the report, Garcia was hesitant when he responded and “appeared to be concentrating way too hard on a simple question.”
Garcia was also unable to tell the officer the last four digits of his Social Security Number, which he said he did not know, the report said. The officer reported that this normally indicates the subject is being deceptive. The security guards told the officer that Garcia said his name was Greg Sanchez. After running him through the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department, the officer saw he was “not on file,” and handcuffed Garcia. Another officer escorted Garcia to the patrol car because he had become agitated and refused to sit as the officer had requested, the report said.
According to the report, the officer determined there had been underage drinking going on but was unable to take further enforcement action. The officer questioned Garcia again about his Social Security number, at which point he admitted that he lived at Lobo Village and that his ID was in his apartment. Officers then went to his apartment where they found several open containers of vodka. Garcia told the officer none of his roommates were over 21 and that the alcohol was not his. The officer ran his ID by the operator license number and found that Garcia was being truthful about his identity. Garcia was ordered to pour out all of the alcohol.
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Police: Panhandling man says cops are civil servants, must give him ride
Tramaine Mitchell was allegedly “aggressively panhandling” in the pavilion area of the UNMH on Sept. 3, asking hospital visitors for cigarettes, bus tokens, money, cell phones and rides to his sister’s house on Tramway Boulevard, according to the UNMPD report. When officers arrived at the scene, Mitchell reportedly demanded they give him a ride because they are public servants.
According to the report, officers explained numerous times that they would not give him a ride and that he was no longer welcome on University property because he was making hospital visitors uncomfortable. After 20 minutes of officers asking Mitchell to leave, they placed him under arrest and transported him to the Metropolitan Detentions Center for criminal trespassing without incident.
SRC resident woke up to find man on all fours in her room, police say
According to a police report UNM student and SRC resident Caitlin Gardiner woke at about 4 a.m. on Aug. 8 to find a man at the end of her bed. According to the report, Gardiner said the man appeared to be crouched on all fours and looking down at the floor, but he ran out the door when she screamed five times. Gardiner pushed the emergency button and security arrived to help locate the suspect after relocating Gardiner and her roommates. The suspect was not found.
Report: bike stolen at SRC
UNM student Victoria Woods told UNMPD that she locked up her bicycle by the SRC on Sept. 1, but when she returned for it on Sept. 11, she discovered it was missing, according to a police report. Woods did not have the serial number and so it was not entered in the National Crime Information Center database. The case is considered to be closed, pending further leads.
Car theft at family housing complex, police say
Between 9 p.m. on Sept. 10 and 11 a.m. on Sept 11, UNM student Charles Grymko’s car was reportedly burglarized at the Student Family Housing complex, according to a UNMPD report. The car was unlocked, so there was no forced entry. The stolen items included a car stereo, Oakley sunglasses and a Gary Allen Greatest Hits CD, for a total loss of $225. The dashboard was broken in two places as well, and according to the report, the damage is estimated to be $250. The officer was unable to detect fingerprints. There is a possible lead on Craigslist currently being investigated, the report said.
Scissor-wielding tree vandal had been previously banned from campus, police say
UNMPD was dispatched to the east side of Zimmerman Library last Wednesday in reference to a man reportedly cutting tree branches with scissors. The officer identified the man as Lawrence Ginn and found two pairs of scissors in his possession, according to the police report. According to the report, Ginn has been a continuous problem on campus, and has been served with trespass paperwork barring him from UNM property, per the Dean of Students.
Additionally, Ginn has been given several verbal warnings to stay off UNM property. Ginn was arrested for criminal trespass and transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center, the report says.
Pair given trespass warnings for unknown transgressions
On Aug. 10, Joseph and Joshua Taylor were issued criminal trespass warnings, according to a UNMPD report. Last Thursday, UNMPD arrested the pair for criminal trespassing after they were found on campus. The report does not list details surrounding the incident. The two were transported to the Youth Diagnostic and Development Center without further incident.
Cops: Bike stolen from Hokona Hall
UNM student Hunter Thompson reported to UNMPD last Thursday that his mountain bike was stolen from the Hokona Hall bike rack on Sept. 11, according to the police report. The cable lock that secured the bike had been cut, and there were no witnesses listed in the report. The bike, valued at $400, will be entered in the National Crime Information Center database for further identification.
Man reports unknown caller continuously harassing him to hand over credit card info
UNM student Tyson Largo reported to UNMPD last Thursday that he had been getting calls for three months from an individual trying to intimidate him into giving them his personal bank account information so they could withdraw funds. According to the police report, the suspect claims that Largo owes a large amount of money from previous delinquent accounts and that he needs to collect.
Largo told police this foreign-sounding man becomes loud and profane when speaking to him, and has begun to call Largo at the University Hospital, where Largo works. The suspect claims to be from New York, but when the numbers he calls from aren’t blocked, they show he is calling from Florida and Arizona as well. No further information was listed in the report.
Cops: Man released from UNMH couldn’t find car
After a month-long stay at UNMH, Kyle Norwood discovered his pick-up truck was missing from the UNMH parking structure, where he had parked it before checking in, according to a UNMD report. After making sure it hadn’t been towed, Norwood reported the incident to UNMPD last Thursday, the same day he discovered it was missing.
The reporting officer indicated he has requested video from the UNMH security office.
