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University peeping tom at large
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Dave Strupp |
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The women’s bathroom in the Fine Arts Center is
where the suspected peeping tom was seen on the floor looking under
the stalls. |
By Rachel Witkowski
News editor
The last thing a female would expect to see in the women’s restroom in the
Arts and Sciences Building is a man lying on the floor, but according to Dr.
Debra Murphy, chair of the department of art and design, that’s exactly what
happened to her March 15.
According to the University of North Florida Police Department incident
report, Murphy entered the women’s restroom by room 1605 at about 12:40 p.m.
She witnessed a black male lying on his stomach on the floor.
“I didn’t scream, but it startled me,” Murphy said.
The report stated the man’s head was not visible to Murphy, and when she
asked the suspect what he was doing, he said he worked for physical
facilities.
Murphy said the suspect was not wearing a uniform, and when he gave her a
name, she called physical facilities and asked them if a person by that name
worked there but they said he did not. Murphy said she also found two notes
with vulgar, sexual language written on it in the bathroom that might have
originated from the suspect.
Once physical facilities did not identify the man, Murphy said she went back
to find him and discovered him hiding in a practice room. The police report
states Murphy asked him if he was the same person in the women’s restroom
and he replied, “yes” and left out the back door.
“I knew he was up to no good,” Murphy said. “We’re an open campus and it’s
just good to be alert.”
Murphy immediately called UPD. University Chief of Police Mark Foxworth said
the case is still under investigation. A man was identified, but the results
came back negative and so the suspect is currently at large.
“We get to feeling too safe in our own world,” Foxworth said. “We encourage
people to be alert of their surroundings and if they see anything unusual to
back away and call UPD.”
Murphy said in the incident report that the suspect is about 30 to 40 years
old, about 5 feet 7 inches and approximately 180-200 pounds.
The report also stated that about six students have seen a man in the past
of similar description sleeping inside the music practice rooms on the first
floor and loitering in front of the women’s restroom on the second floor of
the building.
E-mail Rachel Witkowski at
spinnakernews@yahoo.com.
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