Saratoga News

Campus police investigate Peeping Tom incidents

Man accused of spying in women's locker room

Parents and staff warned

By Clarence Cromwell

Campus police believe they've found the peeping Tom who twice spied on young swimmers in the West Valley College women's locker room in recent weeks.

After the second incident, an officer searched the campus and found the man who police believe hid in a crawl space beneath lockers to spy on adolescent girls in the locker room, said Sgt. Laura Lorman of the West Valley-Mission District Police Department. Lorman said the suspect's name is being withheld until an investigation is completed.

On June 30, members of a swim club spotted a man underneath lockers as they got ready to change after a swim class. They fled and called campus police, who couldn't find the man.

After the second incident on July 8, where witnesses gave roughly the same description of the suspect, an officer found the alleged peeper near the campus bus stop.

Lorman said the suspect is a homeless man, but officers will be able to reach him through San Jose addresses if they need to.

Norman Havercroft, coach of a campus-based youth swim club, said he's seen such events happen from time to time during his 15 years of coaching, but he always warns new students and their parents to report strangers who don't belong around the pool or locker rooms."These type of people show up at these places," Havercroft said. "We are extremely suspicious."

Lorman confirmed that locker-room spying incidents happen from time to time.

She said police usually manage to make an arrest or identify and photograph the perpetrator in peeping cases.

The college took further measures to ensure safety after the recent incident.

Lorman said the campus is installing wire mesh to close off the hiding place used in the two most recent incidents. And campus police have put out an alert to women who use the locker room adjacent to the pool area.

"We've notified the P.E. department. We've gotten the word out to our staff as much as we can," Lorman said.

Both P.E. coaches and police officers will be patrolling the locker rooms frequently, Lorman said. "Our squad room is right next to the pool. Our officers, whenever they go in or out, are making passes by the pool. I want people to feel safe and secure using the facility."

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