Fresh feces, pile of paper on fire found in Drake lot

Des Moines Police found a pile of fresh feces next to a pile of plastic and paper on fire in a Drake University parking lot early Monday morning.

An officer was driving near the 1600 block of 30th Street shortly after 1 a.m. Monday when he noticed a small fire in a parking lot that belongs to Drake University, according to a police report. When he arrived, the officer found a pile of paperwork, including expired vehicle registrations.

Right next to it: a pile of fresh feces that had also been rubbed on the papers.

Drake security noticed an open gate that should have been closed and found that it had been rammed by a car. The chain for the lock and the latch for the gate had been damaged and the gate couldn’t be relocked.

Drake security had checked the lot at midnight and everything at that point had been fine, according to the report.

Police found that the expired vehicle registration papers were connected to a truck reported stolen Sunday.

The case is under investigation.