HOT PLATE
A stolen Connecticut license plate was recovered from a car on the Gorham campus. USM Police Detective Sgt. Ron Saindon said the department received a phone call around 10:30 a.m. on April 24 from an individual in Brookfield, Conn. The caller told police the vehicle was possibly headed to USM’s campus. A USM Police officer recovered the plate at 2 o’clock that afternoon.
“A juvenile stole the plate in Connecticut, slapped it on a vehicle, and drove to the USM campus,” said Saindon.
The vehicle was towed to a local garage, and the license plate was mailed to police in Brookfield, where the theft originally took place. No further information was released since the suspect is a juvenile. The suspect was not a USM student.
STOP STEALING
A stop sign was stolen from the Gorham campus, and its replacement sign was stolen two days later.
The original sign, at the intersection of University Drive and Campus Drive in front of the new dormitory, was pulled from the ground and left lying there on April 24 by Facilities Management, due to damage. The sign was stolen overnight. The Gorham Police Department loaned a portable replacement sign, which was stolen overnight on April 26.
Another permanent sign was erected in its place. The original sign is valued at $50 and the portable sign at $250. Police have no suspects and are investigating.
REALLY HOT COFFEE?
A small fire on the lawn in front of Upton-Hastings Hall was extinguished by a USM Police officer.
The fire was reported by an Anderson Hall resident on the night of April 23. Officer Anthony Amburg responded with a fire extinguisher and put out a fire roughly 3 feet in diameter. It turned out to be a coffee cup and plastic bottle that had been burned.
Detective Sgt. Saindon said he wasn’t sure if the fire was set intentionally or if somebody accidentally started it.
“We did turn (pieces of burnt plastic and paper cup) over to the office of the Maine State Fire Marshal,” said Saindon, where they will be tested for flammable materials or accelerants.
USM Police have no suspects.