Police Blotter

University police responded to a variety of reports over the weekend

Police+Blotter

Story by Sami West, Staff Writer

Unwelcome visitors

Campus police received a report of two subjects, one male and one female, actively disrupting and refusing to leave a high school forensics event in the Ojibwe Ballroom, Feb. 7, according to a UW-Eau Claire Police report.

When a responding officer arrived in the ballroom, a student worker explained he had observed a male subject and a female subject opening doors and walking inside the reserved room.

The worker asked the subjects to leave, but they ignored him and continued walking around the room.

The student described the male subject to be approximately 50 years old, tall, average build, bald, no facial hair and wearing a gray jacket, blue jeans and black shoes. The female subject was approximately 50 years old as well, tall, average build, red-brown hair, and wearing a maroon jacket and round glasses.

By the time the officer had arrived, the subjects had left the building.

UW-Eau Claire forensics director Karen Morris said when the subjects entered the room, she asked if she could help them. The male subject replied “no” and continued walking around the room. Morris stated she then told the male subject these rooms were reserved for a forensics event and asked for his name.

She could not remember how the male subject replied, “but remembered that it was something along the lines of ‘none of your business,’” according to the report. She then told a worker to call campus police.

At 4:56 p.m., authorities received a report that the subjects had returned, but were not being disruptive. As the subjects walked past a worker, they heard the student manager on duty discussing the matter on the radio with him.

The worker approached the subjects and asked them how they were doing. He stated the male subject simply stated he would be leaving the building soon.

When the officer returned, he did not find anyone matching the descriptions in the building.

An ever-changing story

A Towers Hall North resident opted to enter a diversion program after UW-Eau Claire Police found evidence of marijuana in her dorm room, Feb. 7, according to a campus police report.

At 5:22 p.m., Feb. 7, a Towers Hall North resident assistant reported an odor of marijuana in the ninth floor hallway, according to police.

When a responding officer arrived, the assistant stated she did not know which room it was coming from. She told police she could smell the odor through an open window, according to the report.

The officer found a “moderate smell of marijuana” coming from one particular room. He knocked several times and received no response. The assistant had seen the resident leaving while they were speaking in the lobby.

Later that same day, two officers returned to the room. A female with red, bloodshot eyes opened the door. Officers requested consent to enter; she consented.

Upon entering the room, the officers detected a “mild odor” of marijuana coming from a closet near the door, according to the report.

The officers introduced themselves and explained why they were there. The subject immediately denied using or possessing any marijuana.

After some hesitation, she stated she would not consent to a search, as she felt it was a violation of her privacy.

The responding officer continuously requested cooperation regarding the matter, and stated he had seen her leave after he had attempted to make contact at her door. The subject explained she had gone to Target. The officers noted Target bags on the floor in the room.

The subject then changed her story, stating her friend had smelled bad when he entered her dorm room earlier. She explained having met him at a party and that he had texted her asking her to hang out. She had just deleted his phone number.

The subject told police that her friend had brought marijuana with him and attempted to smoke. The subject said she asked him to stop because it made her uncomfortable. The officers informed her they knew she was lying, according to the report.

The subject appeared to be “weighing her options,” and asked the officers if she would get kicked out of school or put on academic probation. The officers told her no and again requested cooperation.

Moving to her dresser, the subject removed a silver tin container. Inside the container, authorities found a plastic bag with a nugget of marijuana. The officer requested her pipe as well and she gave him an aqua colored glass pipe with black burnt residue in the bowl area. The officers also noticed a bottle of UV Vodka in the drawer, and requested she remove it.

Cooking oil or marijuana?

A resident’s assistant reported an odor of marijuana near her room on the fourth floor of Towers Hall South at 5:16 p.m., Feb. 6., according to a UW-Eau Claire Police report.

A responding officer detected a strong odor of what seemed to be cooking oil in the elevator lobby of the fourth floor. The officer then checked the rooms closest to the resident assistant’s room for an odor of marijuana, but only found a stronger cooking oil scent and cologne.

He could not hear anyone inside the room and knocked several times without response, according to the report.

The officer did not detect the odor of marijuana elsewhere.