UPD received a call Aug. 14 reporting an escalating dispute between students and “the campus preacher.” Officers stood by but neither party was reported to act outside policy.
On Aug. 16, a report was received from LCSO about a shooting at Gulf Coast Town Center within the construction site. LSCO detailed a white Corvette and silver Sedan with an unknown direction of travel and two unknown individuals with no description. There were no injuries to report at the time. UPD officers arrived on the scene and met with LCSO. A report update recorded one individual injury. UPD updated a subject description of a black male in a hoodie who was last seen going to Target. A UPD officer reported a silver Sedan was seen and shots were heard. The report does not detail who made the claim. Officers could not determine if the white Corvette was part of the incident. LCSO viewed the cameras at Target. There are no findings recorded in the UPD report. UPD officers waited at West Lake Village on stand-by for additional information. LCSO set up a drone support team in Lot 8, and LCSO units patrolled the area until the incident was cleared. All details of this event report are listed in the order they were recorded.
UPD responded to a RAVE report on Aug. 16 about a group of female students screaming and leaving in a white van in the West Lake Village parking lot. Officers contacted the reporting individual, who was unable to confirm if the students got in the truck or not. Officers on scene identified a vehicle matching the description and spoke with the driver, who stated that he was getting food. The driver told UPD that he and his girlfriend, who was also in the vehicle, heard the loud group of women but that they were not associated with them. UPD canvassed the area but were unable to identify anyone in distress.
A student contacted UPD on Aug. 20 to report an alligator near a storm drain in North Lake Village. An officer was unable to subdue the gator and it crawled further into the drain.
A student called UPD on Aug. 22 to report that her items were stolen from the laundry room in Biscayne Hall. An officer was able to locate video footage showing a student taking the items, according to the report. A witness statement was obtained, and the suspected student later visited UPD with nine items, claiming they were mixed in with her own. A property receipt was issued.
An officer documented the events of an ongoing scam call to UPD in a report on Aug. 22. The individual on the call claimed to be from the IRS and was demanding money to settle a debt. The officer reported the caller had a thick accent and ignored her when she informed him that he was calling a police department. According to the report, a recording was played of an American voice warning about scams, and the caller hung up. The same individual called back and said he was in the area and needed to borrow the internet. The officer again informed him he was calling a police department. The individual told the officer “Not to mess with him,” because he knew how to hack into computers, according to the report. The call was given to night dispatch, and the individual then said he was going to find the officers because they have a public address. The night disp officer on night dispatch told the caller he was on the phone with a police department. According to the report, the caller told the officer he dialed the wrong number, claimed to have anger issues and ended the call. UPD traced the phone number to a Vonage IP phone in Fort Myers with an unknown name. LCSO was contacted but reported no prior history with the number, and UPD’s further attempts to contact the individual went unanswered.
Parking Services advised on Aug. 23 of an irate male that came into the building and began yelling about people stealing ID cards and sending them overseas. The individual was asked to leave and complied without further incident.
A student contacted UPD on Aug. 23 to make them aware of a student in an Amazon jacket who approached her and began yelling at her for her clothing. The reporting student wanted to make sure the incident was reported with UPD. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate a student matching the description.
A student contacted UPD on Aug. 24 to report threatening posts on the Yik Yak app that were targeting campus. An officer met with the reporting student, who said she would send screenshots of the posts to UPD. According to the officer’s notes, the threatening posts had been removed before he could see them on the app. A written statement was obtained from the complainant, but no identifiable names were available on the Yik Yak app and officers cannot trace the posts.
On Aug. 25, a female student was reported to UPD for her numerous negative posts on social media. The reporting student told UPD the female student was posting her address and telling people to “come kill her.” According to the report, an officer met with the female student, who said her posts were meant as a joke and got thrown out of proportion. The officer reported that there is no concern for her welfare at this time.
