Police Blotter

Scams, stuck elevators and uncooperative drivers

McKenna Dirks

More stories from McKenna Dirks

3rd and Vine
April 5, 2022
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Stuck on you

On Oct. 22 At around 10:20 p.m., an officer was dispatched to The Suites regarding an elevator malfunction.

The communication center said elevator cart No. 2 had two people inside and was currently stuck between the second and third floors. The communication center said they had since disconnected with the people who were in the elevator cart.

Upon arrival, the officer traveled to the first-floor lobby of The Suites and observed that the main indicator panel located above elevator cart No. 2 showed “3.”

The officer attempted to push the elevator call button to see if elevator two would move. After pressing the call button, the indicator panel above elevator two still showed that it was stuck on the third floor.

The officer then traveled to the main elevator control panel located in the basement. The officer turned the main power off to elevator two. They then traveled to the third floor and opened the door.

When the officer opened the elevator door, they observed a male and female subject inside the elevator cart. They assisted both subjects out of the stuck elevator cart. Both subjects said the cart had randomly stopped.

Both subjects said they had not sustained any injuries while riding elevator two. The officer answered questions the subjects had and cleared the scene.

No further information was given at the time.

Dangerously free money

On Oct. 23 at about 12:50 p.m., an officer met with a subject at the UW-Eau Claire Police Department office regarding a scam the subject had encountered online.

The subject said she was contacted via email by a female claiming to be looking for a personal assistant. The email said that the subject was being contacted because she was deemed trustworthy, according to the university.

The subject said the email came from a woman by the name Lucy Bryan. The subject said they emailed back and forth with the woman asking questions about the job. The female said the subject would be hired, but due to being out of the country, she could not meet with the subject for two weeks.

The subject said she then received a check from the female via FedEx. She said the check was made out to her for $1,250.00.

The subject said the female told her it was her first paycheck. The subject said she felt this was weird, due to not having worked yet, but took the check to the US Bank on campus.

The subject said she tried to cash the check, but the US Bank flagged it as a scam and refused. The subject said she wanted the incident documented.

The officer spoke to them about online safety and online scams. The officer told her they would file an information report since there was no loss.

Vehicle Shenanigans

On Oct 24. at around 9:30 a.m., an officer was performing stationary patrol parked in the Bridgman Hall lot, facing eastbound in a marked squad car.

The officer observed a silver SUV approach the intersection of 800 and 700 University Drive, also traveling eastbound. The officer observed the silver SUV stop just short of the stop sign.

The officer then heard the engine begin to “rev” loudly and that the tires on the SUV spun and made squealing noises that could be heard through the officer’s windows.

The officer observed multiple people on sidewalks surrounding the intersection. This area of the campus has multiple residence halls and is a high pedestrian traffic area, especially at this time of day, the officer said.

The vehicle then performed a right-hand turn and continued onto the 700 block of University Drive.

The officer activated their emergency lights and initiated a traffic stop on this vehicle, a silver 2003 Chevy Tahoe, in the Towers Lot.

The officer made contact with the driver, who identified as a CVTC student. The officer introduced themselves to the subject and stated the reason for the stop. The subject said immediately that they were testing their vehicle after getting it back from the shop.

The officer said their driving behavior was not acceptable, especially on a college campus with pedestrians around. The subject said they had not observed any pedestrians around, and continued to act nonchalant as if their behavior was not dangerous and concerning.

The communication center said the subject was valid to drive with no wants and not on probation. The officer issued a citation with an amount of $213.10.

The subject had no questions regarding the paperwork.

Dirks can be reached at [email protected].