Man escapes cops after indecent exposure in library

A 24-year-old student at the St. Paul campus’ Magrath Library was subjected to an extremely unpleasant spectacle when she noticed a man masturbating to her on the afternoon of June 22, according to a police report.

The man escaped police on foot, the police report said. He did it by hiding in an elevator, library circulation desk employee Hilary Hazzard said.

“The girl saw him and reported it right away,” she said. “The masturbation was kind of directed to her, which was the really bad part.”

Hazzard described the man as being a white male in his mid to late 50s and partially balding.

“The woman was sitting at a study table and saw the suspect behind a stack of books,” University of Minnesota police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said. “She could not tell if he was looking at book, magazine or watching her.”

Other incidents similar to this have occurred near University libraries in the past.

“We’ve had sporadic incidents of indecent exposure in the libraries in the last few years,” Miner said. In that time, Wilson and Walter libraries have had three cases, according to Miner.

The case is listed as inactive, pending new information.

Child Development Center burglarized

Burglars used a prying tool to break into the University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development on June 23 and stole two video cameras. The cameras were in plain sight through the windows, the police report stated.

“It’s unclear whether the man broke in because he saw the cameras or if he planned it before,” Miner said.

There was no video surveillance in the center, and the case is listed as inactive, pending new information.

Police advised the center to conceal valuable equipment, the report said.

“Usually, it’s a quiet area of the campus,” Miner said.