By Margaret Hawryluk
A suspect known for targeting female victims when cornered and most vulnerable, was caught in the act last week.
Nassau County Police arrested and charged a Hempstead man for three reported instances of peering into stalls of women’s bathrooms at the University.
David S. Sanchez, 31, was charged with criminal trespassing to the third degree and harassment to the second degree, according to a police report. Victims identified him as the man responsible for incidents that occurred in the Student Center in late September and early October and in the New Science building last week.
Sanchez was apprehended on March 1 at 9:20 p.m. after a student using the bathroom in the New Science building, also known as the Chemistry/Physics building, discovered Sanchez peering into her stall, Ed Bracht, director of public safety, said.
“[Sanchez] got onto the floor and peered into the adjoining stall where a student was using the toilet,” according to the release.
The student left the bathroom after noticing Sanchez and rushed to the public safety office. Multiple officers were dispatched to the area where they finally approached Sanchez as he was heading toward the Alumni House, Bracht said.
Public safety put Sanchez under custody and took several Polaroid pictures of his face, which were used to identify him as the Peeping Tom, he added.
The victims of last semester’s incidents on the lower floor of the Student Center were called into the public safety office to provide identification.
Public safety received no further complaints of peeping after the occurrences in September and October prompted the posting of several flyers around the Student Center warning students and providing a description of the man.
The alleged peeping Tom was then described as a male in his late 20’s with a dark complexion, of Mexican or Hispanic descent and a scar on the right side of his face.
Once Sanchez was positively identified, Nassau County Police were notified to apprehend the suspect.
Sanchez was arraigned on March 2 in Nassau County criminal court, but his case is pending until April 3. He is being held for $2,500 bond or $1,000 cash bail.
Although students are relieved that public safety has apprehended the peeping Tom, Neena Longia, a freshman biology major who has class in the science building five times a week, thinks security measures should be tightened.
“If they’re able to do something like this, then what else can they do? It makes you really think,” Longia said. “Security is a big issue for me because I do come here at night for classes. So it’s not comforting to know that places you spend so much time in would have things like that happen.”
Other students, however, feel that security on campus is more or less under control.
“It’s kind of freaky, but they pretty much have a good control over it. I mean, they caught the guy and I feel pretty safe here,” Ashley Guzzo, a freshman speech-hearing-language science major, said. “But it does make you think of being alone so I think you should always have someone with you.”
Madeleine Banulski, a senior English major, agreed that students should look out for each other in order to increase safety.
“I don’t know what it is about Hofstra that attracts creepy people, like there were all those incidents in the library with the foot fetish guy,” said Banulski, who had a class in the science building last semester and cuts through the building to get back to her dorm. “But I guess people should look out for each other, like if they see someone suspicious in the bathroom. I don’t know what public safety could do, I mean they are doing their best, but I also don’t want them constantly looking over my shoulder.”
David Sanchez peered into the stall of a women’s bathroom in the New Science building.