Police Blotter

UW-Eau Claire Police handles underage drinking and an inaccurate call to an armed robbery case this week

More stories from Stephanie Smith

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Easy on the tequila

At approximately 1:38 a.m. Sunday, a campus police officer was walking out of the office when she observed a silver SUV stopped in the middle of Governors Lot with the exterior lights on and all the doors wide open.

The officer observed a male subject outside on his hands and knees near the rear passenger side door.

As the officer approached the vehicle, she observed the subject had his head down and was vomiting in the middle of the parking lot with two female students standing outside to help him.

According to the report, the officer made contact with the male subject and the two females. One of the females said she and her friend were trying to get the male back to Towers Hall South and they were looking for a parking spot when the male subject began vomiting inside her vehicle, which is why she had stopped in the middle of the parking lot.

The officer asked the male subject how he was feeling, to which he responded he was doing fine and had just consumed too much alcohol.

According to the report, after being asked how much alcohol he consumed, the male subject said he had taken several shots of tequila.

The two female students with him said he had consumed at least nine shots of tequila between 11:30 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.

The male subject was able to provide the officer with his identification and to answer the officer’s questions, however he was very uneasy on his feet and needed help walking.

After being asked if he wanted medical assistance, the male subject advised he did not need any assistance, stating his roommate was likely in his room.

The two female students advised the officer they would stay with him and monitor him for the night.

The male subject and the two females walked with the officer to the east entrance of the Crest Wellness Center, where the officer asked one of the females how much she had to drink that night.

She said she had consumed one shot, along with a couple sips of another drink. She then advised the officer she had consumed the alcohol about three hours prior to this conversation and she had eaten cheese puffs afterward.

The officer advised this female that because she was not of legal drinking age and had been driving, he wanted to ensure she was safe to drive.

Standardized field sobriety tests were conducted inside the Crest Wellness Center, where the area was illuminated by the interior lights.

After passing the sobriety test, the female student was asked to partake in a Preliminary Breath Test to which she consented with a result of .000.

The three students then exited the building and the male subject sat on the ground and began vomiting again.

He also consented to the Preliminary Breath Test but blew a .19.

The officer then completed Wisconsin Non Traffic Citation for violating Underage Alcohol Consumption — first offense.

The officer issued the male subject the citation along with an Eau Claire County Alcohol Offender’s pamphlet.

According to the report, the three students then walked toward Towers Hall and were escorted by the officer all the way to the male’s room to make sure he made it back alright and would be monitored.

A false report on an armed robbery

At approximately 11:06 p.m. last Tuesday, the Eau Claire Police Department (ECPD) made a mutual aid request to campus police for a reported armed robbery at the Direct Store at 2515 Patton Street.

The Communication Center advised a complainant had observed a man in the store point a firearm at an employee.

UW-Eau Claire Police arrived on scene to assist and help set a perimeter around the Direct Store.

All campus police officers on scene drew their firearms or deployed their squad rifles.

According to the report, one of the campus officers observed a male and female subject walking around in the store.

The ECPD had the communication center make phone contact with the employee inside the store.

The employee advised there were no issues.

The two subjects inside the store were asked to walk out of the store one at a time.

A majority of the police officers went to clear the building, but all the doors were locked. Several ECPD officers waited on scene for a key holder then cleared the building.

The situation was then taken into the hands of the Eau Claire Police Department and the campus officers cleared the scene.
According to the report however, it turned out to be a misunderstanding as there was actually no man pointing a firearm at any employee in the store. The complainant was on the street outside the store and thought he saw something suspicious and decided to call the police just to be safe.