The University Record, March 15, 1999
By Rebecca A. Doyle
Man held in carjacking
A 20-year-old man, who is not affiliated with the University, is being held in connection with a carjacking reported at 11:50 p.m. Feb. 15. A female student says she was approached by a man after she left the Legal Research Building and entered her car in the S-5 lot on South State St. The man reportedly pulled her out of the car and then drove it away.
Before she had a chance to report the vehicle to police as stolen, a DPS (Department of Public Safety) officer noticed an Acura Integra driving the other way near Hill and Oakland streets without headlights on. The driver also ran a stop sign. When the officer turned around to approach the driver, the driver parked the car and fled on foot. He was later apprehended on Madison St.
The man pled not guilty at a preliminary hearing and was bound over to circuit court. He is being held in the Washtenaw County Jail on felony charges of carjacking, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. His appearance in Circuit Court is scheduled for April 13.
Male student assaulted
A male student in the West Quadrangle Residence Hall reported to DPS that on Jan. 26 he had been assaulted by two men who are also University students. The men accused him of a theft that they said had happened more than a year ago, but the victim denied any involvement in the larceny.
The West Quad resident said that he was punched and kicked by the two men. One has been charged with assault, and pled not guilty in a pre-trial hearing Feb. 23. A non-jury trial is scheduled April 6 in 15th District Court.
DPS officers respond to fire alarm
DPS officers responded to a fire alarm on Feb. 5 at the athletic complex. A player from the Lake Superior State University hockey team had been warming his skate with a propane torch when a flash fire and small explosion set off the alarm. No one was injured in the incident, and officers determined that the fire had been caused by a small leak of gas at the tip of the torch. The fire was extinguished by another player before police arrived.
DPS, FBI investigate fraud claim
DPS officers and the FBI are investigating a reported incident of a fraudulent check that was presented to a teller at Comerica Bank in the Wolverine Tower on Feb. 26. Officers are currently investigating the report that the suspect allegedly tried to cash a check issued by Daimler Chrysler that had been altered or forged.
The suspect, who is not affiliated with the University, tried to cash a check for $4,571, according to DPS Lt. Wes Skowron. Comerica officials told officers that they call the issuing institution for verification on checks of more than $2,500, and when they called, the man left the bank.
Bones missing from Exhibit Museum
Staff at the Exhibit Museum reported to DPS officers on Feb. 4 that bones from the Edmontosaurus display were missing and suspected taken between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Feb. 1. The display is an open one, and there are no suspects in the case, which is still under investigation. The missing bones are toe bones from the Edmontosaurus display, on the third level of the museum. The Edmontosaurus lived 71 million years ago and was approximately 40 feet long and 12 feet high.
