University of Alabama students attempt to steal from UGA campus
On Sept. 24, five visitors from the University of Alabama were involved in a theft on the University of Georgia campus. The incident began around 1:10 a.m. when University of Georgia police officers encountered a group of males at Tate Plaza who claimed to be visiting from Alabama. One officer, suspecting potential unlawful activity ahead of the upcoming football game, recorded the license plate of their vehicle, a black 2016 Ford F-150.
At approximately 1:26 a.m., UGA police observed the group on campus security cameras stealing a UGA banner from outside the UGA Physics Building on Cedar Street. Footage showed a white male wearing a white hat and brown hoodie exiting the truck, taking the banner, and then driving away. Officers immediately began a search for the vehicle.
A UGAPD officer spotted the vehicle at around 2:11 a.m. on Broad Street. Several officers then conducted a traffic stop on the truck. During the stop, five individuals, identified as visitors from Alabama, were detained. One of the suspects, wearing a brown hoodie matching the description from the camera footage, admitted to stealing the banner. A search of the truck also revealed a concrete bulldog statue, which the suspects confessed to stealing from a local house.
Further investigation with the help of Athens-Clarke County police officers led police to a home on Bloomfield Street, which matched the description given by the suspects. However, the residents denied owning the statue. While police are still working to determine the rightful owner of the statue, no charges have been filed for that theft. Additionally, one of the suspects admitted to stealing a UGA flag from outside a local bar, but the bar owner declined to press charges.
All five suspects were barred from UGA campus and transit services for two years. The total value of the stolen property was listed as $1, pending further decisions by the university on whether to pursue charges regarding the banner theft.
Student kicks harasser in dorm study room
A UGA student reported ongoing harassment by a fellow student, according to a UGAPD report filed on Sept. 22. The victim stated that the harassment occurred over a two-week period, with the most recent incident happening on Sept. 21 at Brown Hall.
During that incident, the victim was in a study room on a video call when the alleged harasser attempted to enter. The victim blocked the doorway and told him to leave, eventually kicking him in the shin before apologizing. Both students are residents of the hall.
The victim recounted several previous interactions with the alleged harasser that contributed to her feeling unsafe. In one instance, he made a comment after she walked past him in the hallway. On another occasion, he entered a study room while she was alone and stood behind her, asking if the person she was talking to on the phone was her boyfriend. She told officers these incidents made her feel uncomfortable and harassed, though she confirmed there were no physical threats or attempts to prevent her from leaving.
UGAPD officers spoke with the accused student, who confirmed the Sept. 21 incident but denied that he was targeting the victim specifically. He stated that he was only trying to use the study room and did not intend any harm.
The accused student also confirmed the victim’s account of the physical confrontation, including her kicking him, but claimed his comments during the altercation were meant to defuse the situation. The alleged harasser declined to press charges for the act of simple battery.
Both students were instructed to avoid further contact with each other, and the victim was advised to call UGAPD if the alleged harasser approached her again or made her feel unsafe. The victim provided a written statement, and officers gave her information on campus counseling services and other support resources.
UGA student’s scooter stolen on campus
On Sept. 25, a UGA student reported a theft to UGAPD after discovering her electric scooter was stolen between 11:20 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Miller Learning Center. The scooter, described as a black 1 Plus S10 valued at $300, was left unattended and unlocked at the bike rack outside the MLC.
The victim stated she parked the scooter at the center in the morning and returned in the afternoon to find it missing. There were no security measures in place, such as a lock, at the time of the theft.
Police were dispatched to a nearby location, where they documented the incident and took photographs of the area where the scooter was last seen. The case remains under investigation.
