The Emory Wheel regularly meets with Emory Police Department (EPD) Records Manager Ed Shoemaker (87G, 90G) and Communications Director of Campus Safety Morieka Johnson (94C, 24L) and uses EPD’s public crime log to inform the Emory University community about recent crime on and around Emory’s campuses.
To report a crime, contact EPD at 404-727-6111 or police@emory.edu.
Criminal attempted theft by deception
A student contacted EPD after a scammer called her on April 1. An individual claiming to be “Sergeant Frost” from the Coffee County, Ga., Sheriff’s office called her shortly before 1 p.m. and said that she owed a fee of $9,500 for two infractions.
The caller told the student the infractions included failing to appear in court and, therefore, being guilty of contempt of court, Shoemaker said. In addition, the caller told the student that the entire case could be settled if she paid a sum of $9,500 in advance and appeared in court to sign in as proof that she was there.
The student told EPD that she initially tried to gather the money but could not. The student explained the situation to her mother, who did not believe the caller’s claims and urged the student to contact EPD, according to Shoemaker. EPD contacted the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, which reported that they had never heard of Sergeant Frost or had a case involving the student.
These reports are consistent with the student’s claim that she neither knew where Coffee County was nor understood what the caller was talking about. There was no money exchanged between the student and the caller.
Shoemaker urged students to be wary of scam attempts.
“From time to time, somebody will claim to be from some branch of the government and demand immediate payment of a concocted fine and satisfaction of a charge that doesn’t exist, something that we want students to be aware of,” Shoemaker said.
Theft by taking from the Emory University Hospital
A resident in neurosurgery at Emory University Hospital (EUH) reported a missing pair of specialized glasses from one of the intensive care units (ICU) to EPD on April 2.
The resident said she picked up a box from her program director’s office at EUH on March 5. She said this box contained a pair of blue-framed SurgiTel magnifying glasses, which have small microscope-type lenses mounted on the centers of the lenses, a device used during neurosurgery. The resident reported that the value of the glasses is $3,000, according to Shoemaker.
The resident said she took the box to the ICU after picking it up, placed it on a computer desk by the entrance to the ICU, and left it there. The resident recalls the last time she saw the unopened box sitting on the computer desk on March 7 at about 6 p.m. On March 10, the resident said she noticed that the box was no longer on the computer desk.
The resident delayed reporting the theft of the glasses in hopes that she would be able to find them or that they would be in the lost and found, Shoemaker said. As the glasses continued to be missing, the resident contacted EPD. She believes that there are video surveillance cameras in the hallway outside the ICU, which are under the control of the hospital’s public safety department.
Entering an auto at the Campus Crossings at Briarcliff Parking Deck
An electrical contractor working at the Campus Crossings Briarcliff apartments contacted EPD about a stolen equipment bag from his truck at about 5 p.m. on April 4.
The contractor said he could confirm that the bag had been in his truck at about 2 p.m. At around 3:30 p.m., he returned to the truck to pick up some zip ties when he noticed that someone had broken his rear left window and that the bag was no longer inside his truck.
According to the contractor, the bag contained several personal items, including a checkbook, a Bose speaker, an iPhone, a jacket and a spare key to the truck. The contractor estimated that his bag’s contents were worth about $1,200 in total. EPD did not find any damage near the steering columns, so there is no evidence that the thief attempted to steal the truck itself.
The complex manager said they would try to see if the vehicle was parked in an area covered by cameras. If so, EPD may be able to review the footage to determine what happened, according to Shoemaker. EPD is currently attempting to get any additional identifying information from the truck owner, such as his iPhone’s serial number, in an attempt to track the bag.
