Police looking for suspicious man in Centreville shower case

University police are searching for suspects after a suspicious man trespassed into a Centreville Hall bathroom last week, leaving the dorm’s female residents shaken.

A female student was taking a shower about 2 p.m. on Feb. 2 when she noticed the curtain shake but didn’t think anything of it. Moments later, one of her floormates walked into the bathroom and saw a man, who looked college age, exiting the shower area with his cell phone, police spokesman Paul Dillon said.

It remains unclear whether the man took any pictures or video, he added.

“As of now it’s a trespassing case,” Dillon said. “If we identify and find the man and find out that that he was looking at her, he will be charged with trespassing with the intent to invade privacy. It will be a similar charge if he was found to be videotaping or taking pictures of her.”

Before her shower, the victim said she received a phone call from a fellow Centreville resident, who said her towel was stolen while she showered. She brought her friend a new towel and noticed an unfamiliar man standing outside the bathroom.

“He seemed to be waiting for her to come out,” said the student, who declined to be named, citing privacy concerns.

A few minutes after stepping into the shower, the student said she noticed the man returned to the bathroom with what appeared to be a camera. She said she grabbed her towel, ran out of the stall and chased the man into the stairwell.

After getting dressed, she ran downstairs to the front desk and called the police.

“I am not freaking out,” the student said. “I’m glad I caught him before he did something worse to someone else.”

But while this student remained composed, many of her peers in Centreville Hall said the incident has left them cautious and anxious.

“I am really nervous about showering alone,” freshman Spanish major Rachel Posey. “He could have been on my floor. That could have been me.”

Leslie Vegas, another Centreville freshman, said she now checks the bathroom before showering and always brings an extra set of clothes.

The victim, too, has changed her habits, now keeping the door locked at all times and using the peephole whenever someone knocks.

“It was smart for my friend to bring her phone into the shower, so she didn’t have to walk back naked. I would definitely advise taking preventative measures like that,” the victim said. “Everyone just needs to be more vigilant.”

botehlo@umdbk.com