UNM crime briefs

Employees report items stolen from office desks
On Sept. 14, UNM staff members Claudia Gans and Mandelyne Lara discovered items missing from their offices, which are located next to each other, according to the UNMPD report. Gans told police that two debit cards were missing from her purse, which she had in an unlocked drawer. Lara reported $40 and a book of postage stamps missing from her purse, also kept in an unlocked drawer. Gans said she had seen a “suspicious female” in the hallway near her office, but there were no witnesses to the theft.

Cops: man steals from electrician’s truck
Buddy Bachicha, an electrician working on campus, reported to UNMPD on Sept. 15 that someone had broken into his truck. When police arrived, Bachicha told them he had heard sounds from the Simpson Hall courtyard where the truck was parked. According to the report, the officer went to inspect the gated courtyard and saw a man pulling flexible electrical conduit out of a construction bag. The man noticed the officer, who then ordered him to stay where he was. The man, Joe Scott Newberry, was arrested and searched, according to the police report. The officer reportedly found a screwdriver, a knife, a wallet and a bag containing about eight syringes on Newberry.

Another officer then arrived and monitored Newberry while the initial officer returned to the courtyard. There he found a bicycle, a pair of bolt cutters, stripped wire, copper tubing, lighting ballasts and three reels of wire. Bachicha estimated the total value of the items to be $860.

According to the report, Bachicha contacted his coworkers and quickly identified two University utility trucks and two cars that were missing the items found in the courtyard. The second officer photographed the property and vehicles, and the usable items were returned to the electricians. The first officer conducted a more thorough search of Newberry and found a bag with a powdery residue, though not enough for a field test. They found a second bag on him that contained a white powder “which was given a presumptive test for methamphetamine” which came back positive, according to the report.

The officer informed Newberry of his rights and he agreed to talk without a lawyer present. During the interview, he admitted to a 25-year methamphetamine addiction, and said he had been wandering around in search of recycled materials when he found the reels of copper wire in the bed of the truck, the report said. The officer pointed out that it appeared he had planned the theft, citing the bolt cutters and the gloves he used to avoid leaving fingerprints. Newberry stated the bolt cutters belonged to someone else who had been “casing” the University for a while, and that police would have found this other person if they arrived five minutes earlier.
The officer pointed out that Bachicha had been observing the area more than five minutes before the officer had arrived. Newberry would not say who the person was, and admitted only to finding the copper wire and taking it. Newberry was taken to the Prisoner Transport Center, where APD staff booked him without further incident, according to the police report.

Man uncooperative at UNMH, police say
Tramaine Mitchell went to UNMH Sept. 17, but refused to be checked in when his name was called. According to the police report, hospital security asked Mitchell to leave the premises, and when he refused, security called UNMPD. The officer told Mitchell to leave several times, but he would not tell officers why he would not leave. Mitchell was arrested for criminal trespass and transported and booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center without further incident.

Student reports car at Lobo Village scratched
UNM student Alyssa Quiroz parked her car at Lobo Village on Sept. 17, and when she returned for it two days later it appeared to have been keyed, according to the UNMPD report. When she went to UNMPD, an officer accompanied her to inspect the car. Quiroz showed the officer that the left rear bumper was scraped and the right front fender was dented, “as if someone had opened a car door into it.” The “key” marks stretched from the handle of the right passenger door around the right rear tire. The case is considered to be closed pending further leads, according to the police report.

Books stolen while owner getting water, says report
On Sept. 18, Kurtis Donisthorpe was studying at the School of Law and stopped to get a drink of water, leaving his belongings behind. When he returned, he discovered two of his books had been stolen at a combined value of $450, according to the UNMPD report. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report, and the case is considered to be closed pending further leads.

Student reports backpack stolen while taking friend to hospital
Rudolf Leyba accompanied his injured friend to the hospital on Sept. 18, leaving his backpack behind at Johnson Field where they had played football between 9 and 11:30 p.m. He returned for his backpack the next day and found that it was missing. It contained an iPad, iPod, wallet and Social Security card, a total loss of $702, according to the UNMPD report. Leyba told police he does wish to prosecute if the items are recovered. The case is considered to be closed pending further leads.

UNMPD: bicycle stolen from Zimmerman Library
On Sept. 18, UNM student Jeff Kellywood locked his bicycle to a bike rack on the south side of Zimmerman Library at approximately 8 p.m., according to a UNMPD report. When he returned for it three hours later, he discovered the bicycle and lock were missing. Kellywood reported the theft to UNMPD, who reported that he didn’t know the brand name or the serial number of the bicycle, valued at $300. There were no suspects at the time of the report.

Report: handicap placard stolen from vehicle
UNM faculty member Feroza Jussawalla reported to UNMPD that her handicap placard was stolen out of her car, which was parked on Yale Boulevard by Dane Smith Hall on Sept. 18. She parked in a handicap space at 10:45 a.m. and returned around noon to find her placard was missing, according to the police report. No latent fingerprints were detected, but the placard can be identified because it has a photo of her on the back.

Report: Alleged flasher at Bookstore escapes
An unidentified male suspect exposed his genitals to UNM student Polly Songer last Wednesday, according to a UNMPD report. At approximately 11:30 a.m., Songer was walking by the west side of the UNM Bookstore when the incident occurred. She called 911 and APD met with her regarding the incident and advised that she contact UNMPD because it was on UNM property. Because of this delay in reporting, officers were unable to locate the suspect.