The University of New Mexico Police Department has learned that an alleged robbery late Monday that prompted a LoboAdvisory early Tuesday morning was false.
The LoboAdvisory, which was issued at 12:40 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, said “a non-student reports that at approximately 11 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13, two white males attempted to rob him in the Casa Del Rio Apartments, Jemez Building. The victim stated that he was confronted in the elevator by the two who demanded his belongings. A struggle ensued and the alleged victim was able to escape.”
A subsequent LoboAdvisory, issued today at 11:51 a.m., said “UNM Police have learned that last night’s reported attempted robbery did not occur on campus.” Additional details were not provided.
However, after further investigation, UNMPD learned this afternoon that the report was false and the party involved admitted to making up the story about the attempted robbery. An updated LoboAdvisory was issued at 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, “Reporting party apologizes to the campus and admits he made up the story regarding an alleged attempted robbery.”
“The person reporting the alleged crime voluntarily came into the UNM Police Department and apologized to UNM for making the accusations,” UNM Public Information Officer Lt. Tim Stump said. “Due to other circumstances, UNMPD will not be pursuing charges.”
UNMPD encourages anyone with any information regarding suspicious activity or campus crime to call 505.277.2241 immediately. The UNM campus community is also reminded to be on alert and aware of their surroundings at all times. UNM has a number of precautions in place to help ensure the safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors.
“It is important that UNM receives accurate information about crimes that have occurred on campus, so that our UNM Campus Police can respond accordingly,” said UNM Clery Act Compliance Officer Rob Burford. “Falsely reporting incidents can lead to unnecessarily alarming our UNM campus community and work against our efforts to keep campus informed on safety issues.”
For more information, visit: UNM Campus Safety.