Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

UMass Crime Log: Jan. 31 – Feb. 3

Thursday, Jan. 31

At around 8 p.m., 19-year-old Rachael Lamb, of Acton, was arrested on a charge of minor in possession of liquor. An officer on patrol observed a speeding vehicle, operated by Lamb, traveling north on Commonwealth Avenue that had as many as seven occupants, when it was only fit for five. The vehicle was stopped and the officer observed two bottles of alcohol in clear sight in the rear of the 2012 black Ford Escape. The operator was identified and found to be underage resulting in the confiscation of the alcohol and Lamb’s arrest.

Collegian File Photo

At around 9 p.m., 22-year-old kinesiology major and Amherst resident Christian J. Ferreira, of 5 Eames Place, was arrested on charges of possession of a class B drug, intention to distribute a class B drug and distribution of a class B drug. During the Winter White Tour concert at the Mullins Center, an officer was walking around Lot 25, when she yelled over to a group of people if they had “any points,” – a term used to describe a gram of the drug MDMA, also known as “Molly.”

One male, later identified as Ferreira, said he had “two points” on him. He then reached into his sock and pulled out a small clear plastic bag containing a white crystal powder, which reportedly held approximately one gram of the drug. He said he was charging $20 per gram, to which the officer asked if she could have both bags. Ferreira exchanged the drugs for the requested money, before a second officer approached and placed him under arrest.

Friday, Feb. 1

At about 7:25 p.m., 43-year-old Amherst resident Carlos McBride, of 693 Main St., was arrested on a charge of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and for having an active warrant. An officer in a marked cruiser ran McBride’s plate into the state database while waiting behind him at a red light.

The information was returned and the officer found that the registered owner’s license was suspended. The vehicle was pulled over and the operator was identified as the owner. When the officer ran his license, it turned out that he also had a warrant out for his arrest. There was no mention in the report what the warrant was for.

University of Massachusetts Deputy Chief of Police Patrick Archbald said that an officer not knowing the reason for the warrant is not uncommon.

“All we need to know is if there is an active warrant for someone, whether he killed his grandmother and grandfather, or if he just failed to show up to court,” he said.

McBride was arrested on both charges and brought to the UMPD station.

Saturday, Feb. 2

At about 11:05 p.m., UMPD was called to Kennedy Road, outside of Kennedy Hall, on a report that a taxi had hit and run over a male student.

The taxi, which was full of passengers, was attempting to leave the Kennedy area when one student stepped in front of the vehicle to try to get it to stop. Aside from the passengers, there were also people surrounding the vehicle, and, according to Archbald, the driver “may have gotten freaked out,” as he hit the gas and knocked the person down before running over his leg.

“At this time of year people are all trying to get a taxi service,” Archbald said. “It’s very competitive and people have to wait. If numerous people call from one area and a taxi shows up, it becomes sort of a mob scene because everybody who called Gotta Go Taxi, for example, sees it and goes, ‘Oh that’s my taxi.’ So they all start going toward it.”

The operator was attempting to leave the Kennedy area, but a hostile crowd outside the vehicle was preventing it from safely leaving, according to witnesses inside the cab. The operator reported being fearful of the crowd when he stepped on the gas, striking the male who was trying to stop the cab from moving forward.

The man was struck at an estimated 5 to 10 mph, fell to the ground and was run over by the left front wheel of the vehicle. When an officer arrived, the victim, who was reported to have been heavily intoxicated, said he was experiencing pain in his upper-leg region. According to the officer, he seemed to not be in a great deal of distress, though he was transported to the hospital.

It was then reported that the leg that had been run over, was in fact a prosthetic leg.

He received a summons on a charge of disorderly conduct for trying to prevent the driver to leave, while the operator was given a citation for failure to use care while starting, stopping, turning or backing.

Sunday, Feb. 3

Around 2:54 a.m., officers were dispatched to the area of Kennedy Drive on a report of vandalism and theft from the Baby Berk vending truck. A police cadet in the vicinity observed that the truck’s Plexiglas display window was broken, and the employee inside said that there had been a theft of food items about 10 minutes earlier. An officer soon arrived and had the employee recount the scenario.

According to the employee, he had his back turned for a few moments, and when he turned around, he saw a group of five males, who had removed the Plexiglas and were reaching over the window grabbing at items. According to the report, the items stolen were 15 fruit cups listed at $2.50 apiece, 15 bags of chips at $1.50 apiece and 40 cookies at $1.50 apiece.

The employee said one male displayed more alarming behavior than the others. This male, the employee told an officer, was described as a white male, about 6-feet tall, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans. The employee said after stealing the items, the alarming male fled toward John Quincy Adams Hall. The officer took down the suspects information and reported it over the radio.

One cadet saw a male fitting the description sitting on a bench outside JQA holding eight plastic-wrapped cookies. He was also reportedly under the influence of alcohol and in possession of alcohol. When asked to produce a receipt for the cookies, the suspect could not comply.

The officer then asked the employee to step into the police cruiser in order to perform a “show-up,” during which the victim sits in the cruiser unseen and attempts to identify the suspect. According to the report, the employee was “very certain” that the suspect presented was the perpetrator and the officer issued him a summons on a charge of larceny.

Taylor C. Snow can be reached at [email protected].

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