SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A community safety officer (CSO) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) has been placed on paid investigatory leave after he was arrested for allegedly plotting a robbery and possessing assault weapons.
Nicholas Yukich, 54, has been accused of being the mastermind of an elaborate plot to rob a business, which authorities declined to name, and for recruiting others to help him, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports. Investigators discovered more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition from Yukich’s mobile home, and seized 48 guns, some of which are assault weapons that are illegal to possess in California.
Police arrested Yukich, who worked at UCSC since 1981, around 3 a.m. Friday during his shift monitoring the residence halls at the university. He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grand theft and possession of assault weapons.
