2/24/23
A U. of I. student reported that he was the victim of a sexual extortion scam on Wednesday. An unknown person contacted the student through social media and encouraged him to send intimate photos of himself. The offender then threatened to send those photos to the student’s social media contacts unless he paid $500. The student complied.
A U. of I. employee reported that he was the victim of a phone-based scam on Tuesday. An unknown person sent the employee a text message suggesting that the employee’s credit card had been compromised. Upon calling the provided phone number, the employee was instructed to transfer all of the money in his checking account to a new account. The employee authorized the transfer of $5,017 into an unknown account.
Kyesha M. Neil, 18, of Champaign, was arrested at 10:38 a.m. Thursday at the U. of I. Public Safety Building, 1110 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana, for theft. Police had identified Neil as the alleged offender after a package containing a $1,299 tablet computer was stolen Feb. 10 after it was delivered to the mail area of an apartment building in the 300 block of East John Street, Champaign.
A U. of I. student reported that her purse had been stolen between 7-7:30 p.m. Wednesday from the Asian American Cultural Center, 1210 W. Nevada St., Urbana. The purse, which contained banking and identification cards, was left unattended in a public area.
Alexis A. Vanhook, 24, no address provided, was arrested at 1:02 p.m. Monday at OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center, 1400 W. Park St., Urbana, on a Champaign County warrant for attempting to disarm a police officer. Police initially were called at 11:44 p.m. Feb. 14 to help Vanhook, who was experiencing an emergency that resulted in her being taken to the hospital. While an officer was speaking with Vanhook at the hospital, she attempted to pull the officer’s firearm from its holster. Police obtained the warrant and later returned to the hospital to make the arrest.
Please note: Those arrested are presumed innocent until proved guilty, and formal charges may change as cases are adjudicated. For more information about the incidents listed here, please contact the U. of I. Police Department at 217-333-1216 or .