The Intruder Who Loves To Touch Feet
Washington (United States):
A possible intruder has caught the attention of Terry Hall residents and the UW police during the past week. The concern comes in part from a man who was found knocking on residents' doors on Oct. 1. The man, claiming to be a Lander Hall resident conducting a psychology survey, would start by asking female residents a series of questions, said Ray Wittmier, assistant UW Police Department chief.
The man would then attempt to touch residents' feet, saying he could read them in the same way fortune tellers read palms, Wittmier said.
Terry residents said while they found the occurrences disconcerting, they did not feel threatened.
"He comes off as really harmless," said Terry resident Jing-Lan Lee, who added that she heard of the same incident happening at other times during the past three years.
"The weird thing is one of our friends took the psychology test, and he started putting her in really weird positions," she said.
The UWPD was notified of the man's presence slightly before noon the day of the incident. Wittmier said police looked through the building and didn't find the man, but that Terry staff members are aware of the incident.
Even if the man is found, it may be difficult to pin charges on him.
"It's definitely strange, but there's no crime at this point," said Wittmier. "If he's not a resident, then he's trespassing."
To enter any UW residence hall after business hours, a student must live in one of the seven on-campus buildings. Students identify themselves by scanning their Husky cards, which are necessary to operate elevators and unlock front doors in the dorms. Buildings are open -- at least in certain areas -- during some hours of the day, and residents don't always pay attention to who walks through a door behind them.
"When you're swiping [an identification card] at the door, or swiping in the elevator, someone can follow you in pretty easily," said Lee.
Wittmier hopes the UWPD is able to at least make contact with the man, even if no trespassing occurred."A lot of times that contact is enough to deter the behavior," said Wittmier, pointing out that the man is still basically anonymous.
"Once that's gone, I suspect he'll discontinue what he's doing," he said.
Oct 10, 2005
Garrett McCulloch, Daily - University of Washington, WA
Washington (United States):
A possible intruder has caught the attention of Terry Hall residents and the UW police during the past week. The concern comes in part from a man who was found knocking on residents' doors on Oct. 1. The man, claiming to be a Lander Hall resident conducting a psychology survey, would start by asking female residents a series of questions, said Ray Wittmier, assistant UW Police Department chief.
The man would then attempt to touch residents' feet, saying he could read them in the same way fortune tellers read palms, Wittmier said.
Terry residents said while they found the occurrences disconcerting, they did not feel threatened.
"He comes off as really harmless," said Terry resident Jing-Lan Lee, who added that she heard of the same incident happening at other times during the past three years.
"The weird thing is one of our friends took the psychology test, and he started putting her in really weird positions," she said.
The UWPD was notified of the man's presence slightly before noon the day of the incident. Wittmier said police looked through the building and didn't find the man, but that Terry staff members are aware of the incident.
Even if the man is found, it may be difficult to pin charges on him.
"It's definitely strange, but there's no crime at this point," said Wittmier. "If he's not a resident, then he's trespassing."
To enter any UW residence hall after business hours, a student must live in one of the seven on-campus buildings. Students identify themselves by scanning their Husky cards, which are necessary to operate elevators and unlock front doors in the dorms. Buildings are open -- at least in certain areas -- during some hours of the day, and residents don't always pay attention to who walks through a door behind them.
"When you're swiping [an identification card] at the door, or swiping in the elevator, someone can follow you in pretty easily," said Lee.
Wittmier hopes the UWPD is able to at least make contact with the man, even if no trespassing occurred."A lot of times that contact is enough to deter the behavior," said Wittmier, pointing out that the man is still basically anonymous.
"Once that's gone, I suspect he'll discontinue what he's doing," he said.
Oct 10, 2005
Garrett McCulloch, Daily - University of Washington, WA
