Campus police arrested an 18-year-old on Thursday for breaking into a car and stealing more than 100 CDs and other items of personal property.
Two minors were also involved in the crime but were not taken into custody.
The three suspects, who told police they were students at West High School, were seen prowling around a white Honda Civic in the stadium parking lot around 11:29 a.m.
A witness informed police of the suspicious activity, but when police reached the scene, the three men had driven away in a different car, said Lynn Rohland of campus police.
The suspect vehicle was spotted again several hours later going northbound on Wasatch Drive, next to the Eccles Broadcast Center.
After pulling the car over, police found piles of CDs in the passenger’s seat. When asked about the CDs, the suspects said the copied CDs belonged to them, even though police noted a woman’s handwriting on them.
“(The suspect) stated that that’s how he writes,” said Brian Broadhead, a campus police officer, in a written statement.
The report stated that the 18-year-old suspect later admitted the CDs were stolen and belonged to the owner of the Honda Civic, the car the suspects were first seen circling at the stadium parking lot.
Ansley Herr, owner of the Honda Civic, said if a witness had not called campus police, the suspects may have stolen her car.
The Honda Civic received damage to the door on the driver’s side, where forced entry had been made. The steering-wheel case and the stereo molding were also damaged.
Herr, a junior in sociology, said the robbery left her car inoperable and estimated damages at more that $1,000.
Other property, including a police radar worth more than $150, was missing from the car, Herr said.
According to the police report, the three men said they were dropping off their friend “Daisy” at the U campus. “Daisy” later turned out to be a male friend, police stated.
The 18-year-old suspect was taken into custody and charged with truancy, false information and possible vehicle burglary.
Police said the two minors were released with a warning.
Herr said that while her car was locked at the time of the robbery, she encourages U students to be more careful about their belongings.
“Even though the things they stole were not really visible, you shouldn’t leave valuables in your car at all,” she said.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the Honda Civic was the most frequently stolen car in 2004.