A Level 2 sex offender was arrested in Palo Verde Main on Thursday for allegedly entering and loitering in several ASU residence halls.
Wesley Stuart, a 36-year-old Mesa man, was taken into custody by ASU police and charged with trespassing, loitering and failing to register his new address.
Several female residents of the halls Palo Verde Main, West and East complained to police that Stuart had entered their rooms, introducing himself as a film producer.
He also allegedly tried to solicit money to fund the movie and asked the residents if they would read a script.
Stuart is a convicted sex offender who was previously charged with sexual and aggravated assault.
ASU police detective Jim Hardina said approximately six or seven female residents came forward as witnesses after the initial report was made.
"We will be adding more trespassing charges as more witnesses come forward," he said.
According to ASU policy, anyone making a movie on campus must obtain a specific permit from ASU before addressing students.
Stuart did not show any permit to officers, reports said.
State law requires that if a registered sex offender moves, they must notify the sheriff in the new county within 72 hours of relocating, and the office is then required to notify the city that they live in.
"When there is a sex offender that is an ASU student or somehow related to ASU, Tempe police will notify us," Hardina said. "Then we determine if the people on campus are at risk enough to justify notifying everyone."
History freshman Sarah Jenkins said she called ASU police to report a man, later identified as Stuart, who had knocked on her door at her Palo Verde West dorm room and asked to speak with her about his script.
"I don't feel comfortable at all about security," she said. "They are so lax on security still after this."
Jenkins said she agreed to read the script in the lounge on the floor of her dorm room. She said the script sounded like "soft porn," and later, Stuart asked her inappropriate questions such as "How many guys have you slept with since you have been here?" and "Do you party a lot, are you wild?"
Jenkins added that over the weekend her family was able to walk in and out of the dormitory without showing any kind of identification.
"People are too trusting," she said. "Nothing really bad happened, but something could have."
Palo Verde Main, where Stuart was arrested, has four wings, each with a floor on ground level that opens directly to the outside. On these floors a locked door is the only security provided for the students who live there.
Hardina said Stuart is in jail as of Monday afternoon and that police are trying to keep him there to prevent this from happening again.
"One of the problems we have on campus is when stuff like this happens, a lot of the time students won't call police," he said. "The reason why this guy is in jail is that these girls came forward and cooperated, and they were courageous enough to talk to the police and be witnesses."
With a Level 2 sex offender status, police are not required to notify the public, but ASU police decided to circulate fliers about Stuart because of the incident at the Palo Verde residence halls.
A Level 3 sex offender, the highest level, requires the community to be notified through various means, such as public bulletin boards and online.
Under a Level 1 sex offense, it is illegal for police to notify the public.
The risk level is assessed using a screening profile, which evaluates 19 criteria that are considered to be significant factors contributing to the sex offender's release.
ASU police are advising the public that if Stuart is seen anywhere on campus, to call emergency officials immediately. They also advise against contacting or approaching him. He is described as a white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 185 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.
Reach the reporter at christina.viloria@asu.edu.
