Seven female ASU students have been victims in a series of indecent exposure cases and one sexual abuse at Tempe apartment complexes in the last six weeks.
Tempe Police warned the community Wednesday about the indecent exposure incidents, which have all occurred while the victims were sunbathing.
The press conference was held in response to a sexual abuse incident that occurred Wednesday afternoon at an apartment complex on the 300 block of South Farmer Avenue between 1st and 5th Streets.
A female ASU student was sunbathing by her pool when a man came up to her and removed her swimsuit top and grabbed her breasts before fleeing, police reported.
Police believe this act was the seventh related case since March 5. The seventh case was considered sexual abuse, not indecent exposure.
All of the victims are ASU female students in their late teens or early 20s, said Tempe Police Spokesman Sgt. Steve Carbajal.
The incidents seem to be escalating, Carbajal said, since six of the cases have occurred in the last 10 days, and the crimes have escalated from exposing to physical contact.
Because of their proximity to ASU, Tempe Police is working with ASU Police to find the subject or subjects.
Tempe Police believe these events are related because the incidents have all occurred at apartment complexes around Tempe, all in the late morning or early afternoon, and all have involved a man calling out to a victim who is sunbathing in order to get her attention.
In each of the cases, except for the most recent, once the victim notices the man, he exposes himself and masturbates before fleeing on foot, according to Tempe Police.
He said police aren’t sure if all cases have been the same person, but the suspect fits a similar physical description in four of the incidents, leading police to believe it could be the same person committing these crimes.
The suspect is described as being a white man between the ages of 20 and 30, between 5 foot 5 inches and 5 foot 11 inches, medium build, brown hair and clean-shaven. He is reported to be wearing sunglasses during the incidents and often will hide his face with an item of clothing, making it difficult to get a composite sketch, Carbajal said.
The apartment complexes that have been targeted include The Quadrangles, Allegre Community Townhouses, Hayden Square, University Towers, Cameron Creek Apartments, and Sonoran Ridge Apartments, in addition to 330 South Farmer Avenue, police reported.
The suspect does not appear to personally know the victims and it seems as though they are merely crimes of opportunity, Carbajal said.
Police have no solid leads yet and warn the community to beware of any strangers trying to approach them and to be aware of their environment.
If anyone has any information regarding these events they are encouraged to call Tempe Police at 480-350-8311 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
Reach the reporter at danielle.legler@asu.edu
