Loyola: Suspect in custody for groping students, faculty on campus

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - Loyola University claims a man who groped students and a faculty member on or near the school’s Rogers Park campus in recent weeks is in custody.

“Last night, our Campus Safety police officers arrested a subject in connection to sexual abuse incidents that were reported in early September on and around the Lake Shore Campus,” Thomas Murray, director of Campus Safety and chief of police at Loyola University, said in a statement on the school’s website Thursday.

The subject, who is not affiliated in any way with Loyola, is now in the custody of the Chicago Police Department, he said.

Chicago Police could not immediately confirm a person was in custody Thursday afternoon.

About 10 p.m. Sept. 6, a student was walking in the 6500 block of North Kenmore when she felt someone touch her buttocks, according to a Monday community alert from Area North detectives. When she turned around, the suspect was riding away on a bicycle.

Another student had left the campus library about 12:30 a.m. Sept. 7 and was walking home in the 6300 block of North Winthrop when a man rode up behind her on a bicycle and touched her buttocks, police said. He rode past her a second time and touched her breast before riding off north on Winthrop.

A faculty member was walking to campus about 9:05 a.m., also on Sept. 7, in the 1600 block of West Greenleaf when a man on a bicycle grabbed her buttocks before riding off, police said.

About 10:30 p.m. Sept. 18, a student was in the 6300 block of North Winthrop when she walked past two males leaning on the fence in front of a campus building, police said. One of the two males walked up and touched her buttocks before walking away.

Police said the Sept. 6 and Sept. 18 assaults were handled by the campus police and were not reported to CPD. Loyola issued campus alerts after the second and fourth attacks were reported.

Anyone with information on the man was asked to call Area North detectives at (312) 744-8200.