The following information was obtained from UW-Eau Claire Police Department records.

Urination Violation

At 12:47 a.m. on Sept. 23, student patrol members contacted a campus officer to inform him of a male subject who had urinated outside, behind the Humans Sciences and Services building, near the emergency phone.

The student patrol members followed the subject as he walked eastbound towards Haas Fine Arts Center, and then southbound across the footbridge. They described the subject’s appearance to the officer, who then waited for him to cross the bridge. The officer then confirmed with the patrol members that he had identified the correct student.

The officer introduced himself to the subject and informed him that he was stopping him for public urination. The subject initially denied the accusation. The officer informed the subject that student patrol officers had observed him behind the HSS building and then followed him across the footbridge. The officer told the subject he was simply looking for honesty.

The subject then admitted that he had urinated because he thought there was no one else around. The subject apologized, and the officer thanked him for his honesty.

While the officer was speaking to the subject, he noticed that his eyes were slightly glossy and he smelled an odor of alcohol coming from his person. The subject said he had drunk 2-3 Busch beers earlier in the night. The subject was identified via his driver’s license to be underage.

The officer asked if the subject had any more beer in his backpack. The subject said no. When the officer asked if he could search the bag, the subject said yes and that he didn’t have any beer, but he did have other alcohol.

Inside the backpack was an almost full, open bottle of Jägermeister liquor. The subject took it out of his bag and handed it to the officer. There was nothing else of interest in the bag.

The officer walked with the subject to his squad car. The subject submitted to a preliminary breath test which had a result of .02. The subject had no prior underage drinking convictions. The officer issued the subject a citation for Underage Drinking/Possession – 1st Offense with a non-mandatory court date.

The officer then explained the citation and what was inside the underage alcohol offenders program brochure. He answered the subject’s questions and warned him against the deposit of human waste in public.

Before the officer released the subject, the subject said he was worried about getting into trouble with his coaches, as he participates on an UW-Eau Claire sports team. The officer recommended that the subject contact his coach, and again thanked him for his honesty. He told the subject that his cooperation would be noted in the report, which would be forwarded to his coach.

The officer then allowed the subject to leave.

Distracted driving causes car accident

At 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 18 a campus officer was contacted by the UW-Eau Claire Police Department front staff regarding a traffic crash that had occurred along 600 University Drive. He was informed that both vehicles were out of the roadway.

The officer arrived to the area and observed a Chevrolet with damage to the front left corner parked in the entrance to the Facilities Management Lot. The owner and operator of the car was standing beside it. The officer also observed a Ford Focus with significant damage to the driver side parked in the Chippewa Valley Technical College parking lot. The vehicle’s driver and passenger were standing near the vehicle. Two witnesses were also present in the area.

After the officer exited his squad vehicle, the owner of the Chevrolet approached him and told him that he was at fault. The officer explained that while he needed to speak with the individuals involved in the accident, he had to first see if any medical attention was required.

The officer spoke with the driver and passenger of the Ford Focus. The driver said a mirror had struck her face and that she had some pain in her neck and shoulder area. She refused medical attention. Both individuals stated that they did not wish for EMS personnel to respond. The driver contacted her roommate, who agreed to later transport her to an area hospital.

After the officer verified that no medical attention was required, he spoke with the driver of the Chevrolet. He said that he was traveling west on 600 University Drive and had become distracted talking to a person he knew on the sidewalk. As he was turning left into the Facilities Management Lot, he did not see the Ford Focus and struck it at a speed he estimated to be around 5 mph.

Next the officer spoke with the driver of the Ford Focus, who said she had been traveling about 15 mph east along 600 University Drive when the Chevrolet struck her vehicle on the driver’s side.

The officer spoke with each of the witnesses, who each told him the same information.

Both vehicles were insured. The Chevrolet had sustained damage but remained driveable. The Ford Focus sustained significant damage and had to be towed from the area.

The officer issued the driver of the the Chevrolet a Wisconsin Uniform Traffic Citation for Inattentive Driving. The citation included a fine of 187.90 and a non mandatory court date. The officer explained the citation to the subject and gave him a payment envelope. After answering the subject’s questions, the officer allowed him to leave.

The officer then gave the relevant case information to the driver of the Ford Focus. He answered her questions and then cleared the area once her vehicle was removed.

Kopke can be reached at [email protected].