CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : IRVINE : Student Arrested in Alleged Test Theft

Police have arrested a UC Irvine student allegedly involved in the theft of written exam questions. A second student recently committed suicide after his arrest in the case. Amir Bagherzadeh, 22, will be arraigned Friday on a count of felony burglary, said campus police Chief Mike Michell. His suspected accomplice, Arash Behnam, 21, committed suicide in a Tijuana hotel room a week after his Feb. 2 arrest. Three other students are under investigation, Michell said. The ring operated for at least a year, authorities said. “Obviously, we’ve had problems with students stealing exams,” said university spokeswoman Coleen Bentley-Adler. “But we’ve never had anything this big.” University officials believe the students stole the exams to get better grades and not for profit.