Western Front - 2006 December 8

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LAST ISSUE OF THE QUARTER
DECEMBER 8,2006
ISSUE 19, VOLUME 139
W E S T E R N W A S H I-N G T O N U N I V E R S I TY
Cops look into possible grow-op
UP finds drugs in
Buchanan Towers
while responding
to fire alarm
Kamryn Masters
THE WESTERN.FRONT
University Police are
investigating Buchanan Towers
resident Cameron Watson on
suspicion of intent to grow
psychedelic mushrooms.
However, charges have yet to
be filed against the 18-year-old
from Tenino, Wash.
His suitemate, freshman
Alexander Smalldon V, 19, of
Portland, Ore. was cited on
suspicion of intent to obstruct
police officers trying to search
their dorm room in the early
hours of Nov. 22, one day
before the Thanksgiving break.
Charges against Smalldon were
later dropped.
"[Watson] has not been
formally charged as of this
date," said Sgt. David Garcia of
the UP. "The reason is we sent
the impounded matter to a lab
for testing and we are waiting
for the results before moving
o n "
Michael ^Sledge, judicial
officer for Residence Life, said
Thursday that residents found
producing or selling drugs
are evicted from university
residences.
Watson, a freshman who is
still living in his dorm room and
has not been told whether he
will be evicted, said he wonders
when a decision will be made.
"I've been in limbo for two
weeks now," Watson said
Wednesday night.
Two weeks earlier on Nov.
22 at 3:16 a.m., Cpl. Edwin
Malpica and Officer Chris Davis
responded to a smoke alarm in
Watson's side of the sixth floor
suite.
All the fire alarms- on
campus are connected to central
alarms at the Public Safety
Building and at the Bellingham
photo by Kim Higginbotham THE WESTERN FRONT
Freshman Cameron Watson has The Western Front Cops Box that lists their Nov. 22, 3:16 a.m. visit from
University Police hanging on the refrigerator in their Buchanan Towers suite. It reads: "Police responded to
a smoke alarm in Buchanan Towers and found suspected drugs and drug manufacturing materials."
Fire dispatch.
"Entering a. room that
had a fire alarm activation,
is considered an exigent
circumstance and is an
exception to a search warrant
requirement," Garcia said.
According to a UP crime
report obtained after The
Western Front submitted a
public disclosure request
for police records, Malpica
knocked on the door to the
common living room of Watson
and Smalldpn's'suite for several
minutes>'"Cwhil$v identifying
himself as a UP officer. Watson
told Western Front reporters he
and Smalldon were in their beds
when police knocked at the
door.
The officers checked
the door handle,, found it
unlocked, and opened the
door but did not enter the
room without permission,
according to the report.
Malpica obtained permission
from Smalldon to enter the
common living room and asked
if anyone else was in the suite.
Both Watson's and Smalldon?s-roommates
were gone at the
time.
Malpica knocked on
Watson's door several times
before Watson answered.
According to the police report,
the officers noticed a smoky
haze in Watson's room and
see INVESTIGATION page 6 •
Don't have a cold heart: keep your pet warm
Kamryn Masters
THE WESTERN FRONT
Now that the wet, frigid months are
upon Western, many minds wander to
cozy clothes, hot chocolate and fireplaces.
Unfortunately, many Western students
do not take their pets into consideration
when dreaming of such warm, fuzzy
surroundings.
During the winter, shorthaired animals
are extremely vulnerable to the elements
and ideally should be kept inside, said Penny
Cistaro, executive director of the Whatcom
Humane Society (WHS).
The WHS is giving a
of free doghouses to pets
of low-income residents
on a first-come, first-served
basis.
According to the
WHS, animals kept
outside also need more food
than usual due to the fact
that keeping warm during
the cold weather depletes
their energy much quicker
than during the summer.
Cistaro said if pets must
limited number be left outside they need adequate living
conditions. The basics of a good pet
home include being elevated four
to six inches off the ground, a
small side entrance with a flap
opening and a cozy living space
with a dry interior.
Other dangers to pets during
the winter include warm engines that
entice cats and other small wildlife to
crawl up under the hoods of vehicles.
Banging on the hood will usually scare
Mark Malijan THE WESTERN FRONT
seePEISpagefi •
wester n f r o n to n I in e.co m