Man tries to photograph showering student

A female student was showering in a women's bathroom in Cumberland Hall last week when a man used a cell phone camera to attempt to take a photograph of her, University Police said.

The woman was showering at 6 p.m. on Nov. 26 when the incident took place. The man fled down the building's stairs after the student noticed and yelled at him, according to a flier posted in Cumberland Hall. The man is described by police as wearing a gray jacket with a blue hooded sweatshirt.

Residents of Cumberland Hall were troubled by the Peeping Tom incident.

"I've never thought of this dorm [as] being sketchy," said Perri Lieberman, a freshman communication major.

Wednesday's Peeping Tom incident was the second one reported in Cumberland Hall this month. At 2:20 p.m. on Nov. 2, a female student noticed a Peeping Tom in a women's bathroom, and the incident was reported to authorities the next day, according to University Police.

Wednesday's incident is under investigation, and it is not known if it is related to the Nov. 2 occurrence, according to University Police spokesman Paul Dillon.

"This is not an uncommon occurrence," Dillon said. In September 2007, Scott William Newman was arrested and charged with nine misdemeanors after being accused of spying on girls showering in Hagerstown Hall.

While a university-wide crime alert for the Cumberland Hall incidents was not sent out, crime alerts were e-mailed to Resident Life and are posted in the bathrooms and hallways of the dorm, according to Dillon. Resident assistants have talked to students on their floors in the building.

"I read the notice - it reminded me of the 'College Park Cuddler,'" said freshman letters and sciences major Emily Wilson. "It freaked me out a little. It's easy to tailgate into the building."

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