On campus Friday at 3 p.m., Eugene police arrested a man who arrived near the EMU amphitheater on bike and began taking cans from a nearby recycle bin.
The man, Jeremiah Paul Rountree, 32, was arrested by two Eugene police officers because he had a warrant out for his arrest on a previous charge of possession of heroin, Department of Public Safety Information Relations officer Pauline Austin said.
DPS officer Robert Guse, who first spotted Rountree removing cans, said, “The gentleman was canning, and unless you’re a part of the recycling services, you can’t take them,” Guse said. “Once they’re put in those containers they’re property of the University.”
Guse said that he wasn’t allowed to divulge the details of the situation, which would be available on Monday, but he did say that the man could receive theft 3, a Class C misdemeanor, for removing the cans. However, Guse wouldn’t say if he would for sure.
“He was a very cooperative, good guy,” Guse said. “I could say yes. I could say no. It’s all circumstantial.” DPS has issued theft 3 on first offense before, but other times it hasn’t, Guse said.
The man wore a baseball cap, sweatshirt, sleeveless jacket and camouflage pants. He had ponytails below his chin and a large scar on the right side of his face.
While the officers collected his information, Rountree sat quietly on the curb with his head slightly lowered to the ground.
Before the police put him in the police car, they removed from his pockets a pill container, two lighters, a flashlight, scissors and a syringe. Then they loaded his bike and hiking backpack into the trunk.
He was taken to the Eugene police station to check if he had previous violations, and police found that he had a warrant out for his arrest for possession of heroin, DPS Information Relations officer Pauline Austin said.
– Kyle Andrew Carnes
Man arrested after removing cans from bin
Daily Emerald
February 11, 2007
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