NEWS RELEASE

6/11/02

Mark Shwartz, News Service (650) 723-9296; e-mail: mshwartz@stanford.edu

Stern Hall prowler matches description of May 25 sexual battery suspect, police say

A man matching the description of a sexual battery suspect was seen prowling in two Stanford dormitories early Monday morning, according to campus police.

Police have released a composite sketch of the suspect ­ a 5-foot-1-inch to 5-foot-4-inch Hispanic male in his 20s weighing 180 pounds with a medium-to-heavy build and a pot belly. The man is described as clean-shaven with brown eyes; short, straight dark hair; and a medium-to-dark complexion.

According to police Lt. Hilary Karp, the man was seen in the second floor women's restroom of Stern Hall on June 10 at midnight. A female student allegedly entered the restroom and found him rifling through personal property. According to Karp, the man spoke in English with a Hispanic accent, saying that he was cleaning. He then left, first walking, then running down the stairs toward the first-floor lounge. He reportedly was seen about an hour later on the second floor of a dorm in Wilbur Hall. He was contacted by a resident assistant who escorted him out, Karp said.

According to police, the man's description matches a suspect accused of sexual battery on a 20-year-old female student in Stern Hall on May 25 at around 12:20 p.m. The woman was sunbathing on Wilbur Field when the man approached her and spoke to her in Spanish. He reportedly sat nearby and watched her, then followed her into her dorm room, where he touched her inappropriately. When the woman tried to leave her room, the man allegedly took her by the waist from behind and tried to pull her back. A dormmate coming down the hallway saw them struggling at the doorway and approached them, allowing the woman to escape without injury. The man left the dorm on foot in an unknown direction and is now being sought for sexual battery and false imprisonment.

During the May 25 incident, the man ­ described as unkempt and dirty ­ was reportedly wearing a green short-sleeved shirt with blue denim jeans. The man seen on Monday was said to be well groomed and wearing a yellow polo-style shirt and white sports jeans.

"We believe it's the same person," Karp said. "If you see someone matching the suspect's description, call 911 or 9-911 [from campus phones] immediately. Do not attempt to contact or detain the person."

Anyone who witnessed these incidents or has relevant information should call Karp at 723-9633. He stressed that students must not prop open doors to their dorms.

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