An MSU employee received an obscene phone call from an unknown man stating he was coming after her last week.
Police say a 34-year-old woman received four obscene phone calls in her Administration Building office between 8 a.m. and 2:55 p.m. Oct. 16. But the woman’s name cannot be disclosed while the case is under investigation.
During one of the phone calls, the caller referred to the woman by name, asked where she was, and stated he was coming after her, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.
The calls have prompted MSU police officials to encourage residents to report obscene and nuisance phone calls. Five obscene or nuisance phone calls have been reported in the last two weeks, McGlothian-Taylor said.
McGlothian-Taylor said many calls go unreported, but an investigation will take place until leads are exhausted if the calls are reported.
Making obscene, threatening or prank phone calls are a misdemeanor offense under MSU’s ordinances. Those convicted can face up to 90 days in jail and/or fined $100. State law also prohibits threatening, obscene and nuisance phone calls.
When receiving calls of this nature, police suggest the recipient should document the calls and hang up the phone immediately.
“Do not engage in the phone calls because you don’t want to encourage the person to call you,” McGlothian-Taylor said.
Rich Licht, the FBI’s supervisory senior agent for Lansing, said the FBI will interview people they trace making those types of calls, and team up with MSU police officers to track down the criminals if they request assistance.
People have reported that Osama bin Laden left a message on their answering machine saying he was coming to blow them up, Licht said.
“We don’t know what motivates people to do that,” Licht said. “You shouldn’t be doing stuff like that in general.”
If the calls continue and become worse, the FBI opens an investigation that could end with federal court prosecution, Licht said.
Marketing freshman Vanessa Purdon said she’s heard about the “Hubbard Breather,” a man who calls girls in Hubbard Hall rooms early in the morning claiming that he is their boyfriend.
The conversation escalates to being obscene, Purdon said.
“He calls and starts breathing really loud,” Purdon said. “He says, ‘Don’t you recognize me?’”
Purdon has never received an obscene phone call, but said she would report it if she got one - if it was severe enough.
She said she would call, “If they were threatening my life.”
