University police found a man trespassing on a University of Minnesota construction site on his 21st birthday early Thursday morning, according to a police report.
The man, whose birthday ended hours before, had a blood alcohol content level of 0.21 and believed he was in downtown Minneapolis when police found him around 3 a.m. at the Cancer and Cardiovascular Research site behind TCF Bank Stadium. He was issued a citation for trespassing on a construction site and transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, according to University police.
“The individual, for whatever reason, believed that he was downtown, which obviously he was not,” said University Lt. Erik Swanson.
Swanson said finding people trespassing on construction sites is not common for the area because the sites are clearly marked.
“It’s pretty unusual to have someone accidentally enter a construction site,” he said.
In addition to the citation, the man was given a trespass warning for the site and all East Bank University buildings.
Scuffle over parking in a contract lot
A woman that parked in a Dinkytown parking lot was confronted by the landlord Thursday afternoon, according to Minneapolis Police.
The 22-year-old woman was told the parking lot between 1301 University and Fourth Street Southeast was for tenants only. At around 4:15 p.m., she was leaving when the landlord confronted her and attempted to open her car door. According to the police report, he pounded on her door after she locked the car.
The woman filed a citizen’s arrest form as a statement, which was inventoried as evidence in the case.
Electronics stolen
Electronics were stolen from cars on back-to-back nights over the weekend near the University of Minnesota campus.
Michael Anderson, a 22-year-old Augsburg College student, said his stereo was ripped out of his dashboard after his window was broken Sunday night.
Anderson said he was asleep in his home near the 500 block of Fourth Avenue Southeast when the crime occurred. When he entered his truck the next day, he noticed a piece of plastic from his dashboard lying on the seat and his stereo missing.
The incident is the latest in a two-month span of thefts around his house, Anderson said. Two of his friends previously had possessions stolen from their cars after leaving a window cracked and forgetting to lock a car door.
The night before, another vehicle theft occurred just a few blocks away near Second Street Southeast and Third Avenue Southeast. Andrew Rance , 26, said his passenger-side window was broken and his GPS stolen. He parked his car overnight near the intersection and went to a birthday party nearby. When he arrived at his car the next day, he noticed the break-in, he said.
Sgt. William Palmer of the Minneapolis Police Department said there were 63 reported vehicles targeted last month in the 2nd Precinct, similar to theft rates from last year at this time.
Palmer said windows are the easiest way for a criminal to break into a car because they can be broken quickly and quietly, some in as little as 30 seconds.
Hard ceramic coverings from spark plugs, for example, are used to “spider web” a window without making a lot of noise, Palmer said.
Many car thefts can be easily prevented by hiding valuables, Palmer said.
Even though it looks like a nice neighborhood, Anderson said, high traffic from University students and a lack of lighting at night have made thefts in Marcy-Holmes a common occurrence.