Burn, Baby Burn!
Oct. 3, 2011 – 12:10 a.m.
Location: Glades Park Towers (GPT) picnic area
A stack of newspapers was on fire outside GPT on a picnic table.
While conducting a parking lot check, an officer noticed the fire and a resident student sitting next to it. The student told the officer he didn’t start it, but sat next to it because he liked the way it looked.
The student continued to deny lighting the stack of newspapers on fire until the officer said he’d look through security camera footage to find who did it.
The student confessed, cleaned up the mess and received a student referral.
Lesson learned: Anyone can notice a two-foot fire in an open area. If you’re the only person there when police arrive, you’re obviously the prime suspect. Starting a fire is always a bad idea. It could’ve gotten out of control and hurt people.
Vodka Violence
Oct. 4, 2011 – 3:43 a.m.
Location: Heritage Park Tower (HPT)
Police were called to the scene when a resident student was attacked by his roommate.
According to reports, the victim was woken up by his drunk roommate when he came home. They began arguing over an incident that happened the previous Saturday when the roommate threw an unknown object at his face.
The roommate jumped on the victim and started punching him in the face. The victim pushed him off, ran out of the room and reported it to an Resident Assistant (RA).
The roommate received a student referral for underage drinking and attacking his roommate, and the victim was relocated to another room.
Later that week, the roommate had a meeting with Assistant Dean Joanna Ellwood and received an interim suspension. He had to move out the dorms immediately and can not attend classes until after a interim suspension hearing with dean of students is held.
Lesson learned: If roommate conflicts become hostile, its best to tell an RA ASAP, before it gets out of hand. Not only will they help resolve the matter, they can assign a room change. Fighting a roommate isn’t worth getting kicked out of school.
Huffing and Puffing
Oct. 5, 2011 – 1:20 p.m.
Location: Parking Lot 32
A Parking Service Technician (PST) found a woman who didn’t go to FAU parked on a curb.
The PST called police because she was passed out and unresponsive.
When police arrived, the officer opened the car door to talk with the woman. She didn’t know what was going on, nor could she remember how she ended up on the curb.
There were green unidentified pills on the passenger seat, which the suspect said was used for her bipolar condition. An empty aerosol can that’s used to dust computer equipment was also found in the back seat.
The prescription bottle label said it was refilled earlier that day with 60 pills, but only 12 pills were found. The woman denied taking 48 pills..
The PST told police when he first saw the suspect she appeared to be sniffing out of the aerosol can and had a blue pipe between her legs.
The suspect placed the pipe in her underwear so police couldn’t find it, but when they said they were going to search her, she gave them the pipe.
She was arrested and brought to the on campus police station for drug paraphernalia. She was issued a Notice to Appear (NTA), meaning she was arrested but was released on the spot. She was also given a court date to determine her charges.
At the station, she admitted she is addicted to prescription drugs and huffing.
Lesson learned: Being under the influence while driving can cause serious consequences. Luckily she didn’t hurt anyone or herself.
Stinky Stench
Oct. 6, 2011 – 12:35 p.m.
Location: University Village Apartments
An anonymous call led police to a resident student who was smoking marijuana.
When police arrived, there was a scent of marijuana coming from the room. The resident allowed police into the dorm and in clear sight there was a fishing tackle box with a sandwich bag filled with pot.
The box contained a metal cylinder marijuana grinder with traces of what was suspected to be marijuana, two packs of cigarette rolling papers and two ceramic marijuana pipes (each in a black felt cloth bag).
The student denied ownership and said he was “holding it for a friend” but couldn’t provide a name.
He was arrested, released at the scene (NTA), but was issued a court date for 7.4 grams of pot and a student referral.
Lesson learned: According to RAs and police, most anonymous calls are usually from roommates who don’t smoke or don’t want to get in trouble for the marijuana smell. There is no way to get rid of the obvious smell of burning marijuana, especially if you smoke it in tight quarters.
Sidewalk Sleeping
Oct. 7, 2011 – 12:56 a.m.
Location: El Rio Trail
A drunk resident student was passed out on the sidewalk with vomit all over him when police found him.
The student told police he was too drunk to walk. When asked his age, he stated: “too young to drink.”
Boca Raton Fire Rescue arrived, but the student declined treatment. Instead, he wanted to have a friend pick him up.
He was given a student referral.
Lesson learned: If you’re too drunk to remember how to use your legs, it’s best you stay put, call a cab or have a friend drive you home. Because of his condition, anyone could have taken advantage of him while he laid in his own puke.
ASS-uming the the worse
Oct. 7, 2011 — 3:20 p.m.
Location: College of Business
When a man came to pick up his pregnant girlfriend from class, he claimed he saw a male student groping her butt.
According to the report, the boyfriend got out of his car and expressed concerns over the situation in a loud voice. When the girlfriend came to grab his hand to explain what happened he “evasively pushed her hand away.”
The girlfriend’s classmates told police that the other man wasn’t groping her, but fixing her pocket that was turned inside out.
Both boyfriend and girlfriend wrote statements of the incident and left together.
Lesson learned: Acting out in violence over an assumption can lead to problems that never existed. It’s best to confront the situation in a calm manner and let both sides tell their story. At the end of the day, it could be nothing but your mind playing tricks on you.
Baker Act
Oct. 8, 2011 – 1:20 a.m.
Location: Heritage Park Tower (HPT)
A resident student was having personal issues with his sexuality when an RA called police for a possible Baker Act.
The officer had an online chat between the resident and a friend stating that he was depressed and felt worthless. The student was transported to the police station for further evaluation.
According to the report, the student told police “he was bisexual and that he did not feel he could tell his mother. [He] also stated that he has had thoughts of suicide but does not want to commit suicide and does not have a plan. [He] also stated that he has previously cut himself but hasn’t done so in about a year.”
The student was Baker Acted and sent to South County Mental Health for medical evaluation. When a person is Baker Acted, they are involuntary taken to a mental institution for observation that could last up to 72 hours. At the center, officials determine if the person is going to cause harm to him or herself, or others. Patients are released when they are considered mentally stable.
Lesson learned: If you know or are worried about someone causing hurt to themselves, notify police immediately.
False Alarm
Oct. 8, 2011 – 2:18 a.m.
Location: Glades Park Tower (GPT)
A student pressed a fire extinguisher, which set off an alarm and caused the residents to evacuate.
A witness told police that, at about 1:30 a.m., he noticed a group of guys he didn’t recognize take the extinguisher from the second floor.
“I saw them take it through my peephole. I left down the same stairway and saw it and smoke but ignored it. Later I returned with [my friend] and I told him about it. We went up the stairwell and [he] proceeded to flood the hallway in front of the stairs with smoke from the extinguisher and that is when the alarm went off.”
When police got a hold of the witness’ friend, he confessed to spraying the fire extinguisher.
He stated that: “I was coming home from a friend’s house and there was a fire extinguisher open and in the hall. My friend was telling me how students were spraying it around the floor. As we walked by I became curious to see if there was anything. I pressed it barely, and in a matter of seconds it clouded up and set off the alarm. I promise that I did not mean any harm nor intended to set off an alarm or destroy anything. If there is any damage I will pay it to the school. I made a silly mistake.”
The student was placed under arrest.
Lesson learned: They say curiosity killed the cat, but in this case curiosity got the cat arrested. Setting off a fire alarm is a serious altercation. The fire department has to come on campus and waste their time turning it off. It’s more troublesome than a simple joke. The entire building has to be evacuated and people don’t want to be woken up at 2 a.m. for a false alarm.
Slick Soliciting
Oct. 11, 2011 – 9:56 p.m.
Location: Heritage Park Tower (HPT)
A solicitor was knocking door-to-door selling a product for Silhouette Organic Salon, but when five students felt they got riped off on the purchase, they called police.
After a student purchased a $66 special package from the solicitor, she realized “certain areas of the pamphlet had white printed labels adhered to the pamphlet covering previously printed material.”
Because she felt she wasn’t getting her money’s worth on a product that was falsely advertised, she canceled her debit card.
Four other students who made the same purchase had the same complaint.
The next day, one of the students called police to inform them the solicitor would be on campus again at 9:30 p.m.
Housing notified police when she arrived. Police told her she could be arrested for soliciting and she was given a trespass notice.
Lesson learned: Someone walking around campus at 9:30 p.m. trying to sell a product door to door, should be the first red flag. Soliciting is not allowed anywhere on campus, unless permission has been granted. Even throwing club and bar advertisements is considered illegal, punishable by arrest. If you see someone soliciting, notify police.
All info was taken from FAU police reports. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
