Man arrested in pulling of UT campus alarms

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The man wanted in connection with the unnecessary pulling of several fire alarms on the University of Texas at Austin campus has been arrested.

Scott Allen Chatagnier, 42, was named in arrest warrants issued in mid-September that accused him of falsely activating near a dozen fire alarms. Surveillance video at the Dobie Center and other locations at the University of Texas at Austin linked him to the incidents.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit released Sept 18, investigators with both Austin Fire Department and UT police said Chatagnier was seen pulling some of the alarms and in the area where several others were activated on Sept. 10.

Authorities were able to track down Chatagnier because he was wearing a University of Georgia Bulldogs ball cap and what they said was a "distinctive backpack," the affidavit said.

UT police saw someone matching Chatagnier's description and wearing the backpack on Sept. 11 and questioned him, the document said. At first, he told officers that he was no where near the area when the alarms were sent off, the affidavit said. Shown surveillance, Chatagnier said "I'm not denying it was me," according to the affidavit.

Police said they were allowed to search Catagnier's apartment and found the Bulldogs ball cap. They obtained an arrest warrant charging Chatagnier with setting off false alarms, a Class-A misdemeanor.

Authorities said Thursday that he was later picked by by Austin police on unrelated assault with deadly weapons charges. His bail was set at $5,700.