Sweet dreams, sleeping Blugold

Early Sept. 8 campus police discovered a student camping where he didn’t belong.

The officer was traveling westbound on University Drive at approximately 3:18 a.m. when he observed a hammock strung up between a utility pole and a tree, south of Towers Hall.

The hammock appeared to be occupied.

Approaching the hammock the officer observed a male subject, sleeping with a blanket covering his body. The officer shook the hammock, awakening the drowsy subject.

The subject informed the officer that he had been sleeping in the hammock since approximately midnight.

When the officer asked the subject why he was sleeping in the hammock, the subject said the temperature inside his room was “so warm that he decided to sleep outside.”

The officer explained the UW policies prohibiting camping on university grounds and the subject apologized, informing the officer he would take the hammock down and return to his dorm.

We can hear you

Two UW-Eau Claire students chose to enter a diversion program after campus police discovered paraphernalia in the subjects’ dorm room late Thursday night.

At approximately 10:25 p.m. on Sept. 8 officers were dispatched to Governor’s Hall after a resident assistant reported detecting the odor of marijuana. Upon police arrival the resident assistant informed officers there had also been a faint scent of marijuana last Friday from a similar area of the hall.

Officers arrived at the dorm room in question and heard male voices inside, along with a television and the sound of playing cards.

Upon knocking on the door, officers reported they heard rustling noises consistent with drawers opening and closing. The male voices inside ceased immediately, while the television remained on.

After knocking multiple times with no response, one officer went around the building to attempt to make contact with the residents through the dorm room window, according to UW-Eau Claire Police reports.

The other officer continued knocking until a male subject finally opened the door. The officer requested to come inside and the subject obliged.

Upon entering the room the officers detected a strong odor of marijuana. Observing a second male subject lying in his lofted bed, the officers requested he come down and provide the officer with identification.

While speaking to both males, officers observed that the initial subject had extremely bloodshot, red eyes and dilated pupils.

Police reported the subject also appeared to be “very nervous” during the exchange.

The officer told the two subjects he could detect a strong odor of marijuana coming from the room and requested their cooperation in handing over all illegal items.

According to the report, both subjects turned around and took illegal items out from their respective dressers.

The report said one subject handed over a brown plastic container, which held a plastic baggie full of a green plant material that the officer identified as marijuana. The officer also observed a pack of rolling papers.

The subject in question stated he had “purchased 10 grams of marijuana before coming to Eau Claire” and that he had consumed marijuana off campus “a few hours ago.”

The second subject in the room handed the officer a black tin, with a picture of the Virgin Mary embossed on it. Upon opening the tin, the officer observed two glass pipes, a vial containing leafy green plant material and a lighter.

According to the report, the second subject stated he had purchased marijuana “from home and transported it to Eau Claire.” He said he had not smoked marijuana that night.

After collecting the illegal items, officers asked the two subjects once more if these were the only illegal items in the room. The initial subject stepped forward once more, stating he had a small baggie of marijuana in his dresser.

The officer requested the subject open the dresser and remove the baggie and the subject complied.

Once more, the officer asked both subjects if they had anything else illegal in the room. Both insisted they did not. The subjects consented to their room being searched and nothing of interest was located, according to the police report.

Both male subjects had no previous contact with police for drugs, and agreed to take the Eau Claire County Diversion Program, which gives first time drug offenders who are at low risk to offend again a chance to participate in a diversion program in place of arrest or citation to keep arrest off their record.

Perfecting the stick figure 101

Early Friday morning an officer reported discovering a new item of graffiti on campus.

While on foot patrol at approximately 4:19 a.m. the officer observed a stick figure drawn in red and blue paint near the cement walkway to Hilltop Center.

The smiling stick figure appeared to be about 1.5 feet tall and the paint appeared to not be fresh. The officer also observed various small paint marks around the vicinity.

Officers have yet to discover who painted the stick figure.