David Tetukevich was sentenced to 11 years in prison this morning for the theft of three iMacs from the University of Oregon’s law school in 2013.

Tetukevich plead guilty to burglary, theft, and criminal mischief charges in August, according to the Register Guard.

Prior to breaking into the law school three times last year, Tetukevich stole various appliances from Jerry’s Home Improvement Center in Eugene by showing store employees fake receipts as he exited the store.

It was an employee from Jerry’s that eventually identified Tetukevich in surveillance footage released by the University of Oregon Police department.

Police were able to recover two of the stolen computers through a search warrant in 2013, as well as some items from Jerry’s.

The number of sex offense and stalking-related crimes reported on the University of Oregon campus rose from last week, according to the weekly crime report log.

Five reports were sent on to the Title IX coordinator, including two stalking offenses, two fondling offenses and one sexual assault.

Here are the remainder of this week’s crime numbers:

– 9 thefts; over half are bike related

– 2 property damage crimes

– 1 possession violation

Crimes tended to be evenly dispersed throughout campus, with the exception of Autzen Stadium — which hosted three different reports of theft.

Oct. 8, a Wednesday, was the most crime-heavy day, with 10 reports.

Students knew Jahson Marryshow as a “nice dude” and a good Ultimate Frisbee player. U.S. Marshals knew him as a fugitive bank robber.

Marryshow’s four-year run from the police came to an end on Sep. 14 during an Ultimate Frisbee tournament in Eugene. U.S. Marshals, who had partnered with Eugene police, arrived in undercover police cars to escort him to Lane County Jail. 

Marryshow was transferred back to Ulster County, New York, where he had allegedly stolen a car, set a barn on fire and committed armed robbery of a bank in September 2010. 

In additional details released by the Kingston Times, Marryshow allegedly left the bank with over $20,000, and was seen wearing ski goggles and a bandana. Authorities suspect that the barn fire was a diversion tactic. 

Though he was considered a “person of interest” by Ulster County law enforcement, it was only after he committed a misdemeanor in November 2010 that police received the evidence to pin him with the crimes, said Kingston Times reporter Jesse Smith, who’s been covering Marryshow’s story from the beginning.

When police found Marryshow in a field and tried to cuff him, he ran into the nearby woods and evaded an extensive helicopter, K-9 unit and ground search.

But to University of Oregon students, who were unaware of his life on the east coast, Marryshow was known as a speedy Ultimate player. 

“He’s a really nice dude,” said former UO student Jeff Leeson. Marryshow sometimes played with students in the recreation center’s fields.

But when conversations became more personal, Marryshow mostly “kept to himself,” said Brad Egbert, another former UO student who played pick-up games of Ultimate with Marryshow in 2010. 

“He said he was from New York,” Egbert said. Marryshow was planning on taking over a landscaping business with his friend in Eugene.

Smith noted that prior to these events, Marryshow had only minor run-ins with local law enforcement.

“He came from a hippie town [Woodstock, New York] much like Eugene,” said Smith. 

The manhunt for Marryshow was even featured on an A&E documentary series called “Manhunters.” He was at the top of local “most wanted” lists, and police had unsuccessfully followed traces to New York and New Orleans over the years. 

According to Melinda McLaughlin, a Eugene Police spokeswoman, Marryshow was still going by his real name in Eugene. This might have resulted in the anonymous tip that lead to Marryshow’s discovery and arrest at Amazon Park. 

Police had decided to ambush him at the tournament as a strategic measure because while on the field, he probably wouldn’t be carrying a weapon. 

Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren visit the University of Oregon to speak on behalf of Senator Jeff Merkley’s re-election campaign in the Erb Memorial Union on Monday, October 6, 2014. (Ryan Kang/Emerald)

Three members of Congress stopped by the University of Oregon today to gather support for Senator Jeff Merkley’s re-election campaign.

Though Merkley and Representative Peter DeFazio also spoke in the EMU ballroom, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was arguably the star of the event. Even with two other congressmen on stage, the crowd, which was comprised of over 400 campaign volunteers, began chanting “Warren! Warren!”

Warren touched on key topics of Merkley’s campaign, some of which centered around economic reform and rallying support for a continued Democratic majority in the Senate. She praised Merkley for his support during the early stages of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s formation.

“Everyone told it was a bad idea [to create the agency], but then I showed up in the office of a freshman senator,” said Warren.

During the press briefing following the rally, Merkley answered questions about student loan debt.

“Oregonians would benefit a lot from being able to refinance student loans and take advantage of low interest rates,” said Merkley. “We had a bill to do exactly that, but we were stopped by a Republican filibuster.”

Oregon voters will decide in November whether Merkley gets to keep his seat against his Republican opponent Monica Wehby.

From Sep. 29 to Oct. 3, the most common crimes were theft and property damage, totaling four incidences for the week.  The majority of crimes took place east of University Street, and north of E. 15th Ave.

Sep. 29 was the most crime-heavy day with seven reports. The rest of the week took a downward trend until the start of the weekend on Oct. 3.

The map above shows where crime occurred on campus. The points are labeled by color, which represent a different category of crime:

Blue: Alcohol related offenses

Green: Property damage, including graffiti

Yellow: Bike theft

Orange: All other theft

Black: Harassment

Brown: Vehicular crime, accidents

Red: Public indecency

Last May, Rita Radostitz locked her bike to a rack at Johnson Hall.

After the hour-long meeting, the University of Oregon director of strategic communications returned to find herself a victim of Eugene’s most notorious crime – bike theft.

“My cable chain was on the ground, cleanly cut and the bike was gone,” Radostitz said.

Though Radostitz hadn’t registered her bike with Parking and Transportation, she had her serial number written down and filed a report with UOPD. She was prepared to never see her bike again.

Bike theft is far from the worst of crimes. But it’s a real nuisance for the 23 percent of the student body and 22 percent of staff who use bikes for their daily commute.

“(Stealing bikes) is a high reward, relatively low risk crime,” said Kelly McIver, the UOPD’s public information officer.

Even when caught, bike thieves rarely face prosecution, he added. With an overcrowded county jail and overworked prosecutors, only those charged with more serious crimes, in conjunction with bike theft, end up being jailed. Otherwise, the punishment is a citation and court date.

Most of the 173 bikes reported stolen on campus last year were taken by non students looking to trade parts for cash or illegal substances, McIver said. Others steal to replace parts on their own bikes.

Although McIver says getting your bike registered isn’t an absolute requirement, it’s a good idea — UOPD occasionally sweeps the racks during breaks and impounds those without registration stickers. Every bicycle registered receives a sticker on the frame, which helps police identify lost or stolen bikes. Though McIver declined to give further detail, he did note that other indicators – besides the sticker, that can be easily ripped off — can be used to identify bikes.

Even still, McIver admits that the rate of return on stolen bikes isn’t “exceptionally high.”

But two weeks ago, Radostitz got lucky. A new bike and five months later, she received a call from UOPD saying that her two-wheeled companion had been found.

“I was really surprised. And the bike came back in perfect condition,” Radostitz said.

After investigating suspicious activity around some bike racks, UOPD ran the serial number of a bike that a girl had claimed to have purchased for around $40. It came up as stolen.

“I learned two things: use a U-lock, not a cable lock – even though it is heavier, it is worth it,” said Radostitz. “Also, having your bike’s serial number is critical to recovery of stolen bikes.”

McIver adds the importance of actually reporting a bike theft to the UOPD – whether it’s your bike that has been stolen or if you witness a bike being stolen. Most people are nervous about wrongfully accusing someone of thievery, but McIver insists on going with instinct.

“If you see someone with a pair of bolt cutters hanging out of [his or her] backpack, it’s pretty safe to assume they’re guilty,” he said.

The UOPD sells U-locks for $15. For more information about the bike registration program, visit the Parking and Transportation website.

Stolen bicycle reports can either be filed online to the UOPD or called in at 541-346-2919.

The number of reported sexual assaults at the University of Oregon are down by half. Arson rates have more than tripled. Burglary rates have also dropped.

These statistics are according to the annual Security and Fire Safety Report released by the UO on Wednesday.

The report is a federally mandated wrap up of campus crime over the last year, required in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Act, which regulates all universities receiving public funds.

This year’s report included expansions made by President Barack Obama’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act last March. Under the reauthorization, Clery Act-abiding schools must expand statistics to include dating violence, domestic abuse and stalking. Reports must also include survivor resources like hotlines and support groups.

The report describes all crimes dealt with by UOPD within campus Clery boundaries, including statistics for campus housing and safety, fires in student housing facilities and on and off campus drug and alcohol referrals.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the numbers in the 95-page report:

• • 1,256 total disciplinary referrals for drugs and alcohol (slightly up from the 1,219 in 2012 and 1238 in 2011)
  • 14 reported sex offenses in 2013 (down from 30 last year and on par with the 13 reported in 2011)
  • 29 incidents of arson, up from 7 in 2012
  • There were 35 reported incidents of burglary down from 42 in 2012 and 2011 (only 4 reported in the residence halls in 2013 compared to 12 in 2012).
  • Zero hate crimes (in 2012 there were two or three bias-based crimes including intimidation based on race and an instance of vandalism defaming a religious group).

University of Oregon physics department head Raymond Frey was stabbed early Thursday morning and is being treated for his injuries at Sacred Heart’s Riverbend location.

Eugene police arrested his wife, 57-year-old Regina Grace Claypool-Frey, at their house on Ferry Street at about 4 a.m., two hours after the stabbing was reported to the police, according to the Register Guard.

Claypool-Frey was booked on charges of first-degree assault, menacing and unlawful use of weapon and is being held in Lane County Jail.

Spokespeople for the police and hospital reported that Frey was in stable condition and conscious at the time of his hospitalization, according to the Register Guard. No updates have been released since Thursday afternoon.

An ultimate frisbee tournament at 2600 Hilyard St. was interrupted last Sunday when federal marshals arrested one of its participants, according to KPTV.

Jahson Marryshow had been running from New York police since June 2010, when he became a suspect for an armed bank robbery in Ulster County. Police believe that Marryshow set fire to a barn to divert the attention of local authorities while he made off with about $20,000 from a Bank of America. A stolen vehicle was also found close to Marryshow’s residence in the town of Woodstock. 

Marryshow is awaiting extradition and is being held in Lane County jail.

It wasn’t until Marryshow was involved in a violent dispute that police issued a warrant for his arrest, according to the “Kingston Times,” but when officers attempted to cuff him, he fled into the woods nearby.  

In Nov. 2010, a grand jury in Ulster County indicted Marryshow on three charges: robbery, arson and larceny. Prior to the indictment, police hadn’t publicly announced Marryshow as a suspect in any of the crimes. 

Eugene Police and U.S. Marshals tracked Marryshow down after a four-year long search that ended with a tip from a Eugene resident. 

More details to come.

The University of Oregon may boast nationally recognized architecture and journalism schools equipped with award-winning faculty members, but sometimes you need not look further than a small academic department to find true magic.

That has been my experience thus far with the UO’s Arabic department.

I had to pick my most rewarding academic experience to date, it would be learning how to conquer this ancient Semitic tongue. So with almost two years of Arabic classes under my belt, I give you eight reasons why you should toss out that Spanish book and reach for a calligraphy pen.

1. It’s useful.

Let me start off with a few statistics:

-There are 290 million native Arabic speakers worldwide.

-It is the third most common official language (27 countries) after English and French.

-Its vocabulary and overall structure has influenced over 15 major languages including Hindi, Farsi, Turkish, and Swahili.

With such massive scope, you’re bound to run into a situation where you can bust out your Arabic skills. Or, at the very least, order your falafel with style.

2. It pays.

Learning a language with such a large influence could also not only land you a job, but a well-paying one too courtesy of Uncle Sam. After quick search through the CIA website, I found a full-time translation job with a minimum salary of 51 thousand dollars.

3. It’s different.

Be a linguistic hipster and ditch the Romance languages. As recipients of a Western education, much of what we know about countries and cultures outside of our own is extremely Euro-centric. Taking Arabic has given me a much-needed break from the monotony of staring at naked Roman statues and deriving the “historical significance.”

4. It’s beautiful.

I’ll admit it. Arabic has more than its fair share of phlegm inducing “khhhh”s. And after a conversation-based class, you may experience a slight sore throat. But the beauty of the written form trumps the less-than-delicate sounds every time. With Arabic, every sentence can resemble a work of art: It’s script-y, loopy, and just all-around wonderful.  Also the letter ت“taa” looks like a smiley face.

5. It’s challenging.

This language is not for the weak of heart; you won’t be able to blow through an entire season of “The Office” while studying your flashcards, and you won’t be able to pull off a 10 or 20 minute cram sesh right before an exam—successfully. You’ll have to learn a completely different alphabetical system, (ا ب ت ث ج ح خ د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ك ل م ن ه و ي) and learn how to write from right to left. The grammar will leave traces of dynamite in your brain for a few days after class, and the new vocab words will continue to spill in like a breaking news banner. Arabic will start to become your way of life and it may feel like a one-sided relationship sometimes. But, as all hard work has a tendency to do—it pays off.

6. It creates class bonding.

At the beginning of fall term, one of my classmates created a secret group on Facebook called the “Arabic 201 Support Group.” It started out as a way to check up on assignment details, and quickly became a place to release Arabic-induced anxiety attacks and post punny memes. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the coolest and most interesting people in my Arabic classes. It’s a mix of linguistics majors, the politically-savvy, and the awesome. We eat homemade baklava, Turkish coffee, and hummus like it’s our job.

7. To support a small department and its wonderful instructors.

The UO’s Arabic department is comprised of four talented and more than qualified instructors. Rana Mikati, Heather Sweetser, Hanan Ahmed—along with the department director, David Hollenberg—have helped to make the program and classes as valuable as they are. But without students to enroll, there are no classes to teach.

Both Mikati and Sweetser will be leaving the university at the end of the academic year. Sweetser—who joined the department in 2012 as an adjunct instructor—is pursuing a renewable position at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.  Though she feels “extremely blessed” by the supportive community at the UO, she cited job stability as the deciding factor for her departure.

“I felt like I needed to keep looking for a job in case I wasn’t going to have one next year,” she said.

Sweetser is a former US military Arabic translator and instructor, and holds a master’s and three bachelor’s degrees in Islamic Studies, Arabic, and International Studies. She also worked as a journalist in Yemen. The loss of her and Mikati—who holds a PhD in Islamic History from UChicago and is pursuing a tenured track position in South Carolina—is proof that we sometimes take smaller departments for granted.

So when you’re registering for fall classes and are in search of some zest to add to your schedule, take a look through the course offerings for Arabic. You won’t have to scroll too far on the drop-down list