Police Dispatch

The Hillbilly Blues

East Benson Highway and South Craycroft Road, March 28, 6:07 p.m.

A man nicknamed "Hillbilly" was arrested after police found a crack pipe in his pocket and saw him trespassing at a truck stop, a Pima County Sheriff's Department report stated.

An employee from the TTT Truck Stop, 5541 E. Benson Highway, told deputies that a man named "Hillbilly" was trespassing on the property. PCSD Deputy J.J. Iverson spoke with the man after he saw him walk from the truck stop property to a neighboring gas station.

Deputy Iverson recognized the man, Billy L. Hill, from past incidents. At first, Hill told deputies he never went to the truck stop, but later admitted to visiting the truck stop and knowing he wasn't welcome there. While searching Hill, Deputy Iverson allegedly found a crack pipe in a pants pocket, the report stated.

Hill told police that the item they thought was a pipe was actually a tire gauge. He later said that he occasionally smoked crack, the police report stated.

Deputies arrested and released Hill on suspicion of trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia. Deputies did not include Hill's age or address in their report.

He was told not to return to the gas station or the truck stop.


The Aggravated Academic

University Area, April 6, 1:27 a.m.

According to a University of Arizona Police Department report, a professor was handcuffed, detained and later released after police thought he matched the description of a knife-wielding man.

An employee at Subway, 914 E. Speedway Blvd., told police that a customer took out a knife and threatened to kill him when employees asked the customer to leave the store. The employee told police the man's race and said he was wearing a black jacket and black jeans.

Officer Thomas Hawke stopped a man of the same race wearing a dark green jacket and black pants less than a block from the sandwich shop. Officer Hawke pulled out his gun and told the man to kneel on the ground before he searched and handcuffed him.

The man denied having a knife or making threats and said he was a university professor who had been at a vigil all night. Police didn't find a knife on the professor, and the Subway employee told police the man they had detained was not the man who threatened him.

When police removed the professor's handcuffs, he reportedly asked for Officer Hawke's badge number and the name of his supervisor. According to the report, he was detained for less than 10 minutes.


Stealing Old Glory

West Ruthrauff Road and North La Cholla Boulevard, March 30, 9:45 a.m.

According to a Pima County Sheriff's Department report, somebody stole an American flag from a Tucson man's home.

The flag was hung from the side of the man's house in honor of his cousin who is in the U.S. military and is stationed in the Middle East. The man told a PCSD telephone operator the flag had been given as a gift in recognition of the man's community service in his neighborhood.

A neighbor reportedly told the man that he saw somebody take the flag, but didn't give any other information because he said he didn't want to get involved.