String of Vehicle Break-ins
Between Feb. 13 and Feb. 18, 10 incidents of vehicle break-ins were reported to the police. The primary locations of these incidents have been around parking lots and decks, and they have occurred at varying times in the day. This string of criminal activity has led the police to issue an alert across campus by posting notices on residence halls. These postings notify students and faculty to be sure to remove not just valuable items such as laptops and GPS devices, but all items from their vehicles. The police warned students that even leaving GPS mounts in vehicles could cause a thief to break in and search for a device. The notices also instructed anyone who observes suspicious activity to contact the police and to be aware of people wandering aimlessly, especially near parking lots, and looking into vehicles or doing other strange things.
That’s Not Your Bike!
On Feb. 13, at around 8 p.m., a Tech police officer was flagged down by a student, who claimed that his bicycle had been stolen from the bike rack near the Perry/Matheson residence halls. The student then pointed down the street at a black male riding away on a blue and silver mountain bike. The police pursued the suspect, and noticed that the male tossed a red object into the bushes before he was quickly apprehended.
The man was questioned and no warrants were returned. However, the male had been issued three prior criminal trespass warnings, and was placed under arrest. The surrounding area was searched, and a red pair of bolt cutters was found. Near the bike rack, a cut bolt was also found.
Theft-Evangelism
On Feb. 13 at around 8 a.m., a Tech police officer was called to the Wingnuts restaurant on North Avenue regarding a theft. When the police arrived, the officer met with two complainants. The students then proceeded to tell the police their account of the previous night in relation to the theft. According to the two students, they were in the Starbucks in Tech Square, when an older white male began talking to them. The man started discussing religion and faith with the two students. A while later, when Starbucks closed, the three people walked to Wingnuts.
The students continued to talk about religious topics with the man for about five hours. During the conversation, the students said that the man asked them for their wallets, which they gave him. The man also asked them for their debit card, which they also gave him. Next, the man asked them for their pin numbers, which the students again gave to him. The man then gave them back their wallets, with the two students understanding the whole time that the man was in possession of their debit cards. After leaving Wingnuts early on Friday morning, the students checked their bank accounts later in the day and found that about $400 had been withdrawn from each account.
The police asked the students if they ever felt threatened or intimidated by the man. The students said that they felt intimidated mentally by the man since he played on the fact that they were religious people. The students gave physical descriptions of the male suspect, but no identity was determined.
“Alabama Man”
On Feb. 12 at 8 a.m., a police officer noticed a man sleeping in front of the ticketing office at the Edge Athletic Center. The police stopped and questioned the man, who stated that he was waiting for an unknown friend to come and pick him up.
The officer ran the person’s information through the police database, and the man returned wanted from Alabama for stolen property. The suspect was then transported to Fulton County Jail.