Spartan Daily

Suspect arrested in Joe West groping incident

A suspect, whose identity has yet to be released, has been taken into custody by University Police after allegedly entering rooms in Joe West Hall and groping four of its female inhabitants early Friday morning.

According to Pat Lopes Harris, director of media relations at SJSU, four women claim they were sexually assaulted by the man — with the first of the four making her initial report at 3:35 a.m.

The suspect, who is a student at SJSU but not an on-campus housing resident, was arrested at an off-campus location around noon on Friday.

According to Harris, the arrest was made possible by surveillance footage of the man leaving Joe West Hall as well as eye-witness descriptions of the man.

Harris added that quick police work and the cooperation of such witnesses were crucial to the arrest as well.

"Our officers gathered evidence from many sources, and in a timely manner," she said. "The witnesses that came forward really helped lead to the arrest — it was a team effort."

It is not known exactly how many rooms the man tried to enter or successfully entered, but Harris said there will be discussion this weekend with housing resident advisors of how to further educate dorm room safety.

"We will communicate about the challenge of keeping safe," she said. "We need to cultivate a sense of community and discuss personal safety. Our university is located in the 10th largest city in the nation and one of the safest in the nation as well, but nonetheless we need to be aware of personal safety and know to always take caution."

The man was described by witnesses as in his 20's and of hispanic ethnicity, Harris said.

Harris said the man is in custody at Santa Clara County Jail and his identity could be released as soon as charges are filed.