Williamsburg, Va. -The police chief of the William & Mary police department sent an email to students on August 31 with reports of a suspicious man seen around the school's campus.
A student reported that on August 28, around 10 p.m., the man called and motioned to them from a parked vehicle in Gold & Green Village.
The man has been said to offer rides to women and wave them over toward his parked car.
William & Mary says that this is the fifth similar incident since the end of May. Four of the incidents were reported by students while one other was reported by an empoyee.
"We haven't been here for a very long time, so I wasn't sure if this was a usual kind of report," says Emily Schroeder.
School officials say they initially did not believe the incidents were related but as the investigation continued, a pattern was noticed and the decision to send a campus safety notice was made.
"I think it would've been something nice to know just coming in; that way you have an idea of that may be a possibility of happening again," says fresman Katie Sell.
The subject is reported to be a black male who is missing some teeth, balding and speaks with a strong southern accent.
None of the reports suggest that the man showed aggressive behavior, but his actions are described as "suspicious."
No one has been harmed in any of the cases.
William & Mary Police Chief Deb Cheesebro said, “Although no crime has been committed at this point, the safety of our students is our number one priority. We believe students should be able to not only be safe, but feel safe, in our environment. As a safety concern, we will continue this investigation to identify the individual involved and work to end these incidents. Our Department will assist any student that requests an escort at night.”
If you have any information about these incidents, contact William & Mary police immediately at 757-221-4596.
