Division of Public Safety - University of Illinois Police

Monday, May 12, 2008

A building service worker reported that a Fiberglas ladder ($500) was stolen from the Armory, 505 E. Armory Drive, some time between 7 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. on May 9.

A computer monitor ($200) was stolen from a lab in the Mechanical Engineering Lab, 105 S. Mathews, U. some time after 9:30 p.m. May 8 and before 5:30 p.m. on May 9.

A faculty member reported that a student had made threatening remarks directed toward her and a teaching assistant on May 1 and again on May 8.

A resident director at Carr Hall, 1001 W. Pennsylvania, U. reported that a 19-year-old Cuba City, Wisc. man had entered an apartment without authorization and had damaged the carpet and used the bed linens and the microwave without authorization. The suspect told police that he had entered the apartment briefly on May 6 and had stayed in it on May 7.

A resident of Florida Avenue Residence Hall, 901 College U. reported that sometime between 3:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. on May 9 an uknown person entered his room and stole an E-machines laptop computer ($1000), its carrying case ($50), a Sony PSP and headphones ($244) as well as a suitcase ($50), two checkbooks and a passport from India. There were no signs of forced entry to the room or to the closet where the man had stashed the computer before leaving the room.

A Sony laptop computer ($1200) and briefcase ($50) were taken from an unlocked office at the Agriculture Bioprocess Lab, 1302 W. Pennsylvania, U. between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on May 9. The owner reported that he had left the office unlocked while he was away from it for a couple of hours and the items were gone when he returned.

An unknown person attempted to burglarize rooms at Smith Music Building, 805 S. Mathews, U. on May 8 and May 11 by removing screws from an air vent duct and from a door latch.

An unknown person ignited a cardboard box on the patio outside Hopkins Hall, 103 E. Gregory Drive, U. around 3:25 a.m. May 10. There was no damage from the fire; however, someone also deployed a fire extinguisher ($100) in the hallway and in a stairwell inside the building and had strewn trash on another floor.

Arelco (Alamo/National Rental Cars), 11 Airport Road, Savoy reported that a 24-year-old Savoy woman failed to return a 2008 Volvo ($40,000) that she had rented on March 4.

Avis Rent a Car, 11 Airport Road, Savoy reported May 9 that a 58-year-old C. woman had not returned a 2008 Ford Fusion that she had rented. According to the report, the woman rented the car on March 29 with a return date of April 2.

Edgar Rodriguez, 21, of Chicago and Carlos Torres, 18, of Palos Hills were arrested on a charge of money laundering after they were stopped for a traffic violation at 10:42 p.m. May 11. According to the report, officers observed a Cadillac Escalade the men were in make a turn from Second Street onto John Street without signaling. Officers noted an odor in the vehicle similar to fresh cannabis. A K9 officer alerted to the possible presence of narcotics in the vehicle also. While searching the vehicle officers found a plastic that contained two bundles of cash ($4,600 and $1,041) concealed behind the dashboard. Police also confiscated $1,483 that was found in Rodriguez’s pants pocket. Rodriguez, who owned the vehicle, was cited for possession of titles without to two other vehicles that were unassigned after the titles were found in the glovebox.

Matthew A. Schultz, 19, of U. was arrested on charges of underage consumption of alcohol and possession of cannabis during a traffic stop on May 10. An officer running radar at the intersection of First Street and Kirby Avenue, C. stopped a vehicle at 7:19 p.m. for going over the 35-mph speed limit. The driver, Samantha K. Tarter, 17, of U. was issued a warning citation. Schultz, who owned the vehicle, was arrested after police found stems to suspected marijuana in the passenger compartment.

Matthew J. Christensen, 21, of Bloomington was issued a Champaign City Notice to Appear on a charge of resisting/obstructing police at 12:55 a.m. May 9 after he interfered with police while they were checking the welfare of a woman Christensen was with, who was issued an NTA for underage consumption of alcohol.

Robert A. Hawley, 20, of C. was issued a Champaign City Notice to Appear on a charge of underage purchase/possession of liquor at 2:40 a.m. May 10 after he was stopped by police for taking a sign from Presby House.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Kevin Bayci, 20, of Joliet was issued a Champaign City Notice to Appear on a charge of resisting/obstructing police on May 8 in relation to an incident that occurred at 12:40 a.m. in which Bayci was seen climbing on the roof of Game Day Sports. The officer interviewed the two men whom he saw helping Bayci climb onto a garbage can and then onto the roof, ostensibly to retrieve a shoe that had been thrown there. Bayci refused to respond to the officer’s requests to talk to him and left the scene but was identified by his companions. Bayci was issued the NTA during an interview at the Division of Public Safety building, 1110 W. Springfield Avenue, U. around 10:30 p.m.

Sonia Duarte, 20, of Cicero was issued a Champaign City Notice to Appear on a charge of underage purchase/possession of alcohol at 12:55 a.m. May 9 after an officer stopped to check her welfare because she was having trouble standing at the corner of Third and John streets.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

A computer bag containing a notebook and an employee’s retirement paperwork was stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked in a lot at 1201 Dorner Drive, U. sometime between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. May 6. The bag was valued at $50. The notebook was recovered from a trash can near the Bombay restaurant by a patron, who turned it in to restaurant staff.

A Housing Division office in the basement of Illinois Street Residence Halls, 1010 W. Illinois St., U. was burglarized sometime after 10 p.m. May 6 and before 6:40 p.m. May 7. Three Dell computer monitors, a Dell laptop computer and a power supply were stolen. The stolen items were valued at $2,750. A window was found open and a screen had been cut.

Carrie A. Mulvaney, 39, of Gifford was arrested on a charge of driving with a suspended license at 12:43 a.m. May 7. Acting on a tip from the Gifford police chief, a UI officer stopped Mulvaney on the 700 block of south Neil Street after seeing her driving a minivan.

Two Wisconsin men were arrested on numerous drug-related and traffic charges after they were stopped at 9:19 a.m. May 7 after an officer observed the Ford Mustang they were in screeching its tires and fishtailing while making a turn at Wright and Green streets. In the car’s passenger area, police found a glass smoking pipe, a total of 11 metal nitrous oxide containers that had been punctured, balloons, a plastic bag containing an empty whipped cream charger and Poligrip. Police also found 1.6 grams of suspected cannabis folded in a $5 bill in the passenger’s wallet. The driver, Steven J. Smith, 23, of Janesville, Wisc. was arrested on charges of driving with a revoked license; possession of drug equipment, of nitrous oxide and of intoxicating compounds. He also was cited for operating a vehicle with suspended registration and without insurance and was given a warning for illegal squealing/screeching of tires. The passenger, Tylor A. Schumann, 24, of Monona, Wisc. was arrested on a charge of possession of cannabis under 30 grams. Police also confiscated another man’s I.D. that was in Schumann’s wallet.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

An unknown person scratched a 2006 Kia belonging to a Normal woman while it was parked at McKinley Health Center, 1109 S. Lincoln Avenue, U. around 11 a.m. May 2. A repair estimate was not available but the car was scratched on the passenger side from the rear door to the taillight. The owner told police that prior to her discovering the damage a man had become verbally abusive when she took a parking space that he had been waiting for in the McKinley parking lot. The woman did not discover the damage to her vehicle until she left McKinley and returned to her workplace. The suspect was described as a white male in his thirties with dark hair who was driving a white four-door sedan with front-end damage.

Johnny Valcourt, 20, of Orlando, Fla. was arrested at 9:22 p.m. May 6 at his residence on the 900 block of west Springfield Avenue, U. on a charge of theft of services. Police went to the apartment to talk to its residents about an unrelated matter and during a consent search of Valcourt’s wallet found a University I.D. card belonging to another man. According to the report, Valcourt told police that he had used the card to access services at Campus Recreation Center East. Police also confiscated an Illinois LINK card belonging to another man that Valcourt had in his possession.

Samuel Smith, 19, of Urbana was arrested on a charge of theft under $300 at 9:59 p.m. May 6 at Illinois Street Residence Halls, 1007 W. Illinois St., U. Staff members reported that Smith had taken food valued at about $10 and had walked past the cashier without paying for it. They also told police that Smith had taken a minimum of $110 worth of food on 10-12 other occasions throughout the semester but had left the premises before he could be detained for police.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

A plastic toy pistol was confiscated from a student’s luggage after a baggage screener at Willard Airport, 11 Airport Road, Savoy alerted police to a suspicious gun-shaped item in a traveler’s bag at 7:45 a.m. May 5. The student told police that the toy gun was a prop from Halloween and he was unaware that he had dumped the toy into his bag along with his other belongings while packing.

A Samsung cell phone ($180), and $4 in cash were stolen from an unlocked office at the Mechanical Science and Engineering building, 1304 W. Green St., U. on May 5. According to the report, the victim left the office unlocked from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 while he was away at lunch, and when he returned the cell phone had been taken from his backpack and the currency had been stolen from a desk drawer.