A series of Chapel Hill break-ins continues as police try to identify a suspect.
Lt. Kevin Gunter with the Chapel Hill Police Department said an unidentified man broke into two apartments early Sunday morning at the Mill Creek Apartments on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Chapel Hill.
The female victims are both UNC students and told police they awoke to a man touching their legs. The women report the man fled the scene after they woke up.
Including Sunday’s crimes, six victims living in five residences near campus reported similar incidents to authorities. Police believe the same man is responsible for all of them, but they only have a vague description.
“We increased patrol in the area this weekend and are trying to again canvass the neighborhood and see if anyone has seen or has had contact with the individual,” Gunter said.
UNC sophomore Quinn Richardson lives next door to one of the Mill Creek victims and says a man entered his apartment at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Richardson said he left his door unlocked.
“I had just gotten back in bed when he opened my bedroom door and then I asked him who he was and he took off running,” Richardson said. “I saw his face, but I could not make out any distinct features. It was dark and the man had a hood on.”
Richardson said his roommate was not aware of the break-in until he discovered about $20 missing from his wallet. Richardson did not report the incident to authorities.
“It was only 20 bucks, and it almost seemed like more trouble than it was worth. We didn’t know it was a reoccurring thing,” Richardson said.
In all cases the victims have not called authorities immediately. Gunter said the victims waited hours and even days before reporting the incidents to authorities.
As a result, authorities were not able to respond to the scenes quickly enough to apprehend a suspect.
“Part of the problem is we are not getting information reported in a timely manner,” Gunter said. “We need the student population and residents to take this seriously. We don't know his motivation or if things will escalate.”
Police remind residents to lock their doors and report any suspicious activity immediately. If you have any information about these incidents you're urged to call Chapel Hill Police at (919) 968-2760.
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