Tempe Police reported the following incidents Tuesday:
A 53-year-old Tempe man was arrested March 27 on the 1000 block of West Southern Avenue on suspicion of theft by means of transportation, according to a police report.
Video surveillance on the 1000 block of East Third Street caught the man attempting to steal a vehicle from a private residence at approximately 4:20 a.m., police said.
The property owner did not request a tow, the report said.
The man drove an unregistered tow truck belonging to American Recovery and Towing, a business that is no longer in operation, police reported.
When police contacted the man, he was driving the same tow truck but denied taking the other vehicle, police said.
When the arresting officer told the man the theft was caught on camera, the man changed his story, telling the officer that he towed the car for his friend, the report said.
The man could not provide any information about the friend or the location of the stolen vehicle, police said.
A background check revealed that the man has a history of scrap metal cases, where he is suspected of stealing car parts, according to the report.
He was transported to Tempe City Jail, where he was booked.
A 19-year-old Tempe woman was arrested March 28 on the 1000 block of West Baseline Road on suspicion of theft and marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession and use, according to a police report.
Another woman lost her Samsung Galaxy S4 cell phone valued at $650 but did not cancel her phone service right away in hopes of finding it, police said.
She canceled her phone service when she got a new one. Upon activation, messages from her old phone transferred and the woman saw messages revealing that her friend’s roommate had been using the missing cell phone, police reported.
The woman said she found the cell phone in the parking lot of the apartment complex the day it was reported stolen and took it because she lost hers earlier in the day, the report said.
The woman said she knew the phone was reported missing but was unaware that it was the same phone, police reported.
After she was placed under arrest, police discovered marijuana and rolling papers on her person, the report said.
The woman was transported to Tempe City Jail, where she was booked and held to see a judge, according to the report.
Reports compiled by Chelsey Ballarte
Reach the reporter at chelsey.ballarte@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @chelseyballarte
