On March 21, UTSA student Royce Peters was arrested for stealing two golf carts from UTSA late last year.
“We were able to gather enough evidence or probable cause to charge him with two felonies (theft),” said UTSA Police Department Lieutenant Thomas Calucci.
According to Calucci, Peters was selling the golf carts online. “We were able to see that this individual was using a website to sell golf carts, so when we contacted him regarding that, he stated basically yeah he does, and that is kind of his side business. He buys himself golf carts. We just took it further than that.”
Each golf cart on campus cost the university about $5,000.
Each department at UTSA (housing, student life, etc.) have their own methods of authorizing who can use the carts they are provided with. Most of these golf carts are battery-powered and self-sustainable. They are an easy way to get around campus. They are used to transport disabled people and equipment, to give tours around campus and to make deliveries.
Brianna Niblett, a junior math major and a student assistant at Laurel Village (one of the dorms on campus) uses the golf carts at Laurel for mail runs.
“I really think it makes no sense to steal a golf cart. Whoever did it, should have realized that we have those on campus for a reason and now they have to be replaced,” Niblett said.
Peters did not offer any information as to why he stole the golf carts, but Calucci believes Peters and others who steal items such as electronics on campus steal because of money and the opportunity to own something they want or don’t have.
To prevent this kind of theft from happening again, Lieutenant Calucci and the UTSA Police Department will be working with different departments concerning locking mechanisms for the carts. Also, he thinks parking the carts in areas that are under surveillance and removing the batteries from the carts at night will be helpful.
The UTSA Police Department not only deal with big theft issues, it also help students retrieve items that are stolen when left unattended. For more information on the UTSA Police Department and its services, visit utsa.edu/
