2/6:
At 9 a.m., an information complaint was filed from the Donald P. Corbett Business Hall after a student told the University of Maine Police Department (UMPD) that they heard loud, gun-like noise coming from outside the building. Responding officers searched the area and confirmed the noise was most likely construction that the student had mistaken for a gun.
At 9 p.m., an information complaint was filed after UMPD received a call from the state police in Augusta regarding a student and Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity member who had potentially caught on fire, according to a video the state police had received. UMPD sent officers to the TKE house and made contact with the fraternity president, who confirmed it was him in the video and that the entire setup was meant to be a joke. UMPD said he was not hurt or in need of medical attention, and since the tip turned out to be a false alarm, the case was closed.
At 11 p.m., a traffic offense occurred on Munson Road near Fernald Hall. A student called UMPD and reported that a vehicle was driving down the center of the University Mall. Officers responded and made contact with the driver, who shared he was a DoorDash driver that got confused by his GPS directions. UMPD soon learned that the driver’s license had been suspended, so he was issued a summons for operating after suspension. Additionally, the vehicle he was driving was not registered in his name, so the registered owner was called and they picked up the car.
At 11 p.m., an information complaint was filed near the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house. UMPD said that a group of students grew so irate they had not been added to a party list that they were screaming and eventually dialed 9-1-1. Responding officers issued the students a verbal warning, noting which situations warrant dialing emergency services and which do not.
2/7:
At 3 p.m., a property damage crash occurred in the Somerset Hall parking lot after a student pulling into a narrow spot struck an unoccupied parked vehicle. UMPD said no injuries occurred, damage was minimal and insurance information was exchanged.
At 5 p.m., a property damage crash occurred in the Collins Center for the Arts parking lot after a student struck another vehicle while pulling out of a parking spot. There were no injuries or major damage, and information was exchanged.
2/8:
Around noon, an information complaint was filed from Oxford Hall. A student called in to UMPD concerned because they thought another student may be slumped over and unresponsive in a bathroom stall. While on the phone, the student was instructed to check if the door was locked and soon discovered that the stall was in fact empty. UMPD did not specify what led the student to believe someone was unresponsive in the first place.
At 9 p.m., a Campus Eyes complaint was filed, which is UMPD’s online anonymous tip form. The report shared that there was “suspicious” activity occurring in Oxford Hall, with weeks of persistent loud noise coming from different dorms late at night. Given the general nature of the complaint, UMPD was unable to act on any information that might address the ongoing noise problems mentioned.
2/9:
At 6 p.m., an information complaint was filed from the Memorial Union after officers on duty noticed a student yelling while sitting at her computer near the Bear’s Den. The student was upset because her tuition had not been properly reimbursed and she did not know how to get the money back. Officers spoke with the student and offered her resources to get in touch with the Financial Aid office. The student was given a verbal warning and not reported to student conduct.
At 10 p.m., a suspicious complaint was filed from the Memorial Union after a caller reported that a man was sleeping on a couch inside the building. UMPD made contact with the man, who is already known to most in the department and regularly comes into the building for shelter, due to him likely being houseless. The man was asked to leave and told he could return in the morning.
2/11:
At 5 a.m., a property damage crash occurred in the Wells Commons parking lot after a plow truck clearing the lot struck a parked vehicle. UMPD responded and confirmed no one was in the vehicle or injured, and ensured insurance information was exchanged by contacting the student.
