A UC San Diego student, who was arrested on suspicion of stealing $223 worth of women’s underwear at a dorm laundry room, failed to show up for arraignment and the City Attorney’s office said on Monday they are trying to locate him.
Four misdemeanor charges were filed against David Liu, 19, on Dec. 21, and the City Attorney’s office mailed notify letters to Liu at four different addresses in La Jolla to tell him charges were filed.
The letters also told Liu of the Jan. 18 arraignment in San Diego Superior Court but he did not show up. Normally, judges issue a warrant for the arrest for someone who fails to show up in court.
However, Judge Paula Rosenstein requested the City Attorney’s office file an affidavit for an arrest warrant by April 18 to show they had tried to find out where Liu lives as he may not have received any of the letters.
“We are in the process of filing the affidavit,” said Hilary Nemchik,a spokesperson for the City Attorney’s office, on Feb. 11.
“The court requested an affidavit for an arrest warrant be filed within 90 days,” said Nemchik.
A message was left at UC San Diego on Feb. 12 to see if he is still an enrolled student, but no one could be reached for comment.
Liu, a sophomore at Thurgood Marshall College, was arrested Oct. 15, 2018 by the UC San Diego Police, and he later bailed out of jail. The thefts occurred at the Marshall apartments’ laundry room. One female student interviewed by KGTV Channel 10, said police recovered some of her underwear and she identified them. The student said police offered to give some of her panties back to her, but she said “I told them they could keep it.”
Liu is charged with misdemeanor burglary of the laundry room, receiving stolen property, and two counts of petty theft. He is not charged with all of the underwear thefts. If convicted, he faces a maximum six month jail term.
Another UC San Diego student was arrested in 2017 for stealing women’s underwear from a laundry room, but all charges were dismissed against him later.