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Peeping Tom still at-large after incidents in Spartan Village

June 5, 2017

MSU Police say an investigation remains ongoing after police have received two reports of a "peeping Tom" near MSU's campus within the span of a month.

MSUPD Sgt. Paul Kuchek told The State News in a briefing that both incidences were reported to MSU Police from the Spartan Village apartment complex on Middlevale Road. The most recent episode was reported to officers on May 29, according to the Clery Crime and Fire Log. 

The incident occurred at approximately 3 a.m., when a female student was allegedly awakened by an unknown male subject looking inside her bedroom window. 

Kuchek said the caller told dispatch she could hear the subjects voice outside her open window.

"(She) was unable to make out exactly what the subject was saying, but it sounded like he was speaking to her," Kuchek said. "She felt like the male outside the window was looking at her through the window."

MSUPD received a call about 40 minutes after the incident. The offender, however, was able to flee before officers arrived. 

"She was too afraid to move or look and was unable to get a visual description," Kuchek said. "The subject left the area in an unknown direction."

The first incident was brought to police in the early hours of April 30. MSUPD received a formal report at approximately 2:18 a.m. — roughly 45 minutes after the incident occurred.

Both cases are still active in the Clery Log, and Kuchek said police are still searching for a suspect.

Some residents at Spartan Village said they were surprised to find out these incidents occurred in the first place. Yang Yumpng, a 35-year-old resident living with his wife, said he wasn't aware there was anything that happened in the first place.

“I truly had no idea of this happening,” Yumpng said. 

Yumpng said he's still confident the complex is safe, but said he was alarmed by the nature of the incident.

"I used to run around the whole (apartment complex)," Yumpng said. "I rarely see people who hung out outside."

Sentiments ran the same for graduate student Trhas Weldezghi, who said she's always felt safe about living in Spartan Village before, but was also confused about why she never heard of the incident.

"This is supposed to be a place for students," Weldezghi said. "Everybody’s mature, everybody knows what’s good and bad, so it’s surprising."

When reached, Spartan Village management declined to comment on the matter.



Editor's note: On June 6, Kat Cooper, Director of Communication for MSU’s Residential and Hospitality Services, called The State News and said it was out of character for Spartan Village management to decline the chance to comment on the matter. 

“Obviously, the safety of our residents is our number one priority," Cooper said. "So we’re working fully with the police department on the investigation. We’ve notified all of the Spartan Village residents, the staff, and (told them) to make sure they’re aware of their surroundings and to call 911 immediately if they see anything suspicious. We’ve increased rounds on the property and we’ve also reported the incident to the Office of Institutional Equity for further investigation.”

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