Police Beat: June 7-18

Hazardous condition

BYU Police, Grounds & Landscape Management and electricians responded to a report of a tree that had fallen on Wymount Terrace 5C. It was reported that no one was injured. Upon arrival, police verified that no one was injured and evacuated the apartments under the tree. Police taped off the area to create a perimeter. The tree was removed from the building and tenants were allowed back in.

Information

BYU Police officers were dispatched to a possible missing child near the Smith Fieldhouse. Upon speaking with the complainant and a youth camp director, the child was found safe at home with their parents. No further action was taken.

An officer was dispatched to contact a complainant about a vague text threat. The complainant stated they did not know who the number belonged to and sent a screenshot of the text to the officers. The officer spoke with detectives who determined the number was probably spoofed. Due to the extremely vague nature of the threat and lack of contact information to follow up on, this will be an information report.

An officer was dispatched to contact an FSY counselor regarding a participant getting unwanted text messages. Information was gathered and the parents of the participants were contacted. At this time, no crime has been committed and the situation will be documented.

An officer responded to Wyview 14 on a damaged property report. The officer talked with the complainant who believed their vehicle had been hit while parked in a parking stall. The officer found no information to indicate that the damage happened on BYU campus and made an information-only report.

Citizen contact

BYU Police and Provo Fire responded to the Y Trailhead when a concerned citizen reported seeing a person possibly fall from a hang glider. BYU Police officers arrived on the scene and made contact with an individual who was carrying a parachute. They said they were the only one in the area performing this sport and their landing appeared faster than it was. The individual landed uninjured off BYU property on the Bonneville Trail. Provo Fire spoke with the individual as well. They were found to have no injuries. No further action was taken.

Traffic offense

Security reported a motorcyclist doing tricks and speeding on West Campus Drive near the McKay Building. They were last seen going southbound. Dispatch reviewed security footage in the area and saw the motorcyclist nine minutes before the call. The area was checked but the motorcyclist was not located.

Trespassing

A professor at the Life Sciences Building reported several young adults had gathered for an activity without having authorization and were playing loud music. Contact was made with several BYU students along with their friends. They had turned the music down before the officer’s arrival and were respectful. They said they have been gathering in that location every Friday night for games during the summer for the past couple of years. They also told officers they had spoken with building maintenance who verbally agreed they could be there if they cleaned up the area before leaving each time, which they have done. Officers told them they should get officially documented authorization to use the area before holding these activities so that it does not create any problems and that they would need to leave otherwise. They understood and advised officers they would leave.

Officers responded to a Trespass ATL. It was learned that the subject was invited onto campus to discuss another charge with another officer so no charges will be filed.

Officers responded to the construction area north of the Wilkinson Student Center to a report of two individuals experiencing homelessness who seemed suspicious. Officers responded to the area and searched the construction site but did not locate anyone matching the description provided. Officers continued to do extra patrol in the area.

Agency assist

BYU Police officers assisted a Provo Police officer who needed non-urgent help while on a call near campus. BYU officers provided backup for the Provo officer until other Provo Police officers could respond.

An officer was advised of an agency assist in Provo related to the found property of an FSY student. Information on the student was collected in an attempt to contact them and collect details about their lost property. Provo requested an agency assist from Orem who contacted the student’s family to get the property back to the student.

Flood alarm

BYU Police responded to Helaman Halls for a flood alarm. When the officers arrived, they found water flooding out of the basement HVAC area. A BYU HVAC/Maintenance employee arrived on the scene and was able to diagnose the problem as a faulty drainage system. The BYU employee advised that they would fix the issue and that the police were not needed. No further action was taken.

Theft

A BYU student reported their dark-gray Trek Marlin 4 bike was stolen. The bike was locked in the bike rack near May Hall and Building 9 of Helaman Halls. The bike is reportedly large or extra-large with a flat front tire. No relevant security footage was taken. The bike has been listed NCIC.

An officer responded to Wymount Terrace on the report of a stolen bicycle that was taken within the past hour. The complainant locked the front tire of their black Trek Mountain bike in the bike rack near building 6C, and when they came out, the front tire was still locked to the bike rack but the rest of the bike was gone. There are no suspects at this time. The complainant does not have the bike’s serial number, so it was not listed NCIC. The report will be referred to investigations.

BYU Police were dispatched to Canyon Road for a possible stolen vehicle that was flagged by a license plate reader. Two officers responded to the area. After searching the area for approximately 25 minutes, officers were unable to locate the vehicle anywhere in the area and determined that the LPR may have read the license plate incorrectly.

A delayed theft report was received by BYU Police for some personal property that belongs to an FSY participant. The theft occurred sometime on June 11 in the tunnel south of the Marriott Center. The police officer took a statement from the reporting party and is following up on this report.

Abandoned vehicle

A police officer responded to a report made by BYU Security of an abandoned vehicle in Lot 52 that had been abandoned for about a year. The officer attempted to contact the owner but was unable to reach them. An abandoned vehicle tag was placed on the vehicle.

Public peace

An officer responded to the University Parkway Center for a noise complaint. The officer made contact with several individuals who were playing games and being noisy. They were asked to quiet down to avoid disturbing the Riviera next door.

An officer responded to Heritage Halls Building 16 regarding a keep-the-peace incident. Several FSY participants were involved in roughhousing that escalated, leading to one participant slapping another. An FSY counselor sent one of the FSY participants home because of the incident, which caused a parent to be upset about how the FSY program was being handled. This resulted in an officer responding to stand by and keep the peace. An officer is working with the FSY counselor, participants and parents to resolve issues resulting from the conduct.

Suspicious

Officers responded to the Smith Fieldhouse on a complaint that a suspicious individual was hanging around outside the building. The officer met with the individual who explained they live nearby and were going on a walk to try and get away from some people who were being rowdy at their apartment. The officers did not observe any behavior that raised suspicion, so after talking with the individual, officers cleared.

Dispatched received two complaints of the odor of marijuana or a skunk from Heritage Halls Buildings 8 and 14. The people who reported the odor at Building 14 said the smell came in through the air vents. An officer walked through the grounds area and determined that the faint odor from building 14 was most likely caused by a skunk.

BYU police were dispatched to the Engineering Building for a suspicious individual. The complainant stated that an individual who was approximately 40-50 years old had entered the building and was seemingly intoxicated. The complainant provided more details about the individual’s appearance. Multiple officers responded to the building and began searching the area. Dispatch later advised that they located the suspect on camera and saw that they had left the building approximately 30 minutes before the officers’ arrival. Officers were unable to locate anything suspicious in the area. No further action was taken.

CO alarm
An officer was dispatched to a Wymount apartment for the report of a CO alarm. The tenants had evacuated the apartment and on-call housing responded to check the apartment. It was suspected that the air conditioner caused the increase in CO because no other windows were open.

Animal problem
An officer responded to the east side of the Richards Building on a report that a small fawn had fallen down the hill and the mother had left. When the officer arrived, a large group of children were looking out of one of the dance studio windows, watching the fawn sitting on a rock. The fawn could not have been more than a couple of days old and had a hard time walking. The officer was able to retrieve the fawn and reunite it with its mother, which received an applause from the children.

Traffic accident
Two vehicles were traveling eastbound on Cougar Boulevard. One attempted to change lanes and initiated their turn signal but did not see a vehicle in the adjacent lane and collided with them. The first vehicle sustained damage to the driver’s side front fender and the second vehicle had damage to the passenger side rear door and fender. Both drivers exchanged information and completed written statements.

An officer was dispatched to call a complainant about a delayed traffic accident. The complainant’s vehicle had been hit in Lot 37 on June 5. The other party had left a note on the complainant’s vehicle. The complainant was worried because they had not yet received the insurance information from the other party. The officer called the other party, who promptly sent the complainant their insurance card. The officer verified that neither party had any further questions or needed further assistance.

Two vehicles were parked and unoccupied in Lot 20. One was left in neutral, and the parking brake was not completely applied so the vehicle rolled into the other, making rear-to-front contact. The drivers exchanged information without issue. The officer took pictures and attached them to the report. No damage was observed on either vehicle.

Medical

Officers responded to a medical report involving an FSY participant. Provo Fire responded along with BYU EMS. The patient was checked and both parents were contacted. The parents did not want their child to be medically transported. The patient returned to FSY.

Officers assisted medical with a 16-year-old patient on campus for a sports camp. The patient was complaining of a dry mouth, dizziness, tingling, numbness and weakness. The medical staff thought they might be having a stroke. Later, the parent of the patient called and reported that the hospital ran some tests which came back showing the patient had marijuana in their system. The patient told their parent that a minor brought a bag of Skittles and they ate some of them. The minor who brought the Skittles is unknown at this time. The case was referred to investigation.

A 17-year-old at FSY passed out at Cougar Field. After being checked by Provo EMS, the patient remained with FSY staff.

An officer responded to the Wilkinson Student Center for a medical report. The officer made contact with the complainant who advised that they had talked with a friend who was suicidal. The complainant went to Counseling and Psychological Services and the officer contacted the parent of the friend to check their welfare. The officer told the parent what was reported and they called to check the well-being of their child. The child was in the Moab area.

An officer responded to Heritage Halls Building 8 for an FSY participant with a possible medical problem. A concerned parent called saying they received a medical alert that their child had low blood sugar but would not answer the phone. The officer and an FSY counselor entered the apartment and woke up the participant who was then alert and cooperative. The participant spoke with their parents over the phone and ate something to get their blood sugar back to a healthy level. The FSY counselor contacted their FSY health counselor, who also responded, assisted with the situation and made a report.

BYU Police and Provo Fire responded to the intramural fields southwest of Wyview Park for a report of an individual who had possibly broken their collar bone. Upon arrival, Provo Fire treated and evaluated the patient. The medics found no life-threatening injuries. The patient left the scene in a personally owned vehicle to seek further medical attention. No further actions were taken.

BYU Police, BYU EMS and Provo Fire were dispatched to B66 for an individual having a seizure. The patient was evaluated by EMS personnel and cleared. The patient refused medical transport and stated that a friend or classmate could transport them back home. No action was taken by law enforcement.

BYU Police and Provo Fire responded to a report of an adult having difficulty breathing between Buildings 8 and 9 of Wymount. Upon arrival, Provo Fire treated and evaluated the patient. No life-threatening circumstances were found, and the patient was released by Provo Fire. The patient returned to their family’s apartment.

Officers and BYU EMS responded to the Joseph Smith Building on a medical report for an FSY participant. Provo Fire responded and spoke with the patient’s parent. It was decided that the patient would be transported to the hospital by their parent.

Disorderly

A student security officer was walking on the sidewalk east of the Wilkinson Student Center when someone in a passing car threw an egg at them and missed. The car was no longer in the area when the officers arrived.

Division of Family and Child Services report

The Division of Family and Child Services received a complaint of possible child abuse. A case worker investigated the matter and found the claim to be unfounded. Services were offered to the family and no further police assistance was requested. This report is for information purposes only.

A Child Abuse Neglect Report was received from DCFS regarding a possible sex offense incident that occurred on BYU Campus during an FSY event last week. The case will be investigated in coordination with DCFS staff.

Hit-and-run

An officer responded to a delayed hit-and-run traffic accident. The officer was able to locate the driver of the suspect vehicle and gather the needed information. A driver’s exchange form was provided to both vehicle owners.

Property damage

An officer responded to a delayed property damage report for a bike at the loading docks of the Museum of Art. Officers watched the surveillance footage in the area and there was no sign of anyone damaging the bike.

An officer was dispatched to a property damage report in Lot 4. The officer was provided pictures of damage sustained to a vehicle. It appeared that the damage was caused by a bicycle or other sharp object scratching the side of the vehicle. No security footage was taken of the incident and no suspect could be identified. A case number was provided to the victim for insurance purposes.

Juvenile problem

An officer contacted three juveniles walking through Heritage Halls outside of Building 7 at night. The officer found that the three juveniles were attending FSY and had left their building after hours, violating the FSY curfew policy. The officer contacted an FSY counselor, who took custody of the participants and contacted their parents.

Utility Problem

Officers and Provo Fire responded to a campus-wide power outage. Multiple people reported being trapped in elevators in the J. Reuben Clark Building, Joseph F. Smith Building, Clyde Building, Harold B. Lee Library and the Engineering Building. Provo Fire personnel got everyone out of the stuck elevators and officers patrolled campus for life and safety issues that might result from a power outage until the power was restored. The Incident Management Team was activated, and the BYU Police patrol sergeant set up an incident command to handle all concerns associated with the power outage.

Disturbance

An officer responded to the UVX bus stop on 900 North for an individual making a disturbance. Officers met with the subject who was upset because they did not have a job. The subject calmed down and the officer did not observe anything warranting detainment. The subject got on a bus and left.