Man arrested again for peering into windows on West Campus: UTPD
Man arrested again for peering into windows
A man has been arrested again for peering into windows near UT Austin's West Campus, less than a month after his previous arrest.
AUSTIN, Texas - A man has been arrested again for peering into windows near UT Austin's West Campus, less than a month after his previous arrest.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man arrested for peering into windows near UT Austin's West Campus
What they're saying:
UTPD says that Colton Banks was arrested by Austin police at about 10:18 p.m. on Sept. 8.
He had allegedly been peeping into windows in the 2200 block of San Gabriel Street in West Campus. He was released on Sept. 9, says UTPD.
Colton Banks (UTPD)
The backstory:
Banks had been previously arrested by APD in August for similar behavior.
UTPD reported then that officers had responded to five reports during the overnight hours of Aug. 6 and 7 about a man peering into windows and trying to make contact with residents.
Man arrested for peering into West Campus windows
A man was arrested for peering into windows near UT Austin's West Campus this month.
These previous incidents happened around the same area.
On August 17, APD arrested Banks during a call to the 1900 block of San Gabriel Street for peering into a window.
He was booked into the Travis County Jail for disorderly conduct — window peeping and possession of a dangerous drug.
Dig deeper:
Travis County court records only show one charge for Banks, misdemeanor possession of a dangerous drug.
According to court paperwork, when Banks was arrested for window peeping in August, he had been found in possession of prescription medications that did not belong to him and had another person's name on the bottles.
The same court document says that Banks had been seen naked by residents while he was peering into their windows.
Banks had been released on $3,000 bond for the drug charge in August with orders to stay away from two residences on San Gabriel Street.
What they're saying:
"The revolving door of lawlessness that we all talk about is a real issue," SafeHorns President Joell McNew said.
McNew said this case in West Campus is a perfect example of what she means: a man accused of peeping into windows is arrested, released on bond, then police said he was back in the same neighborhood doing the same thing.
"It wasn't even a slap on the wrist. There was no deterrence for him to stay away," McNew said. "Where does that escalate? Are we waiting for him to come into the house? Potentially hurt someone, he could be harmed by someone protecting themselves."
What's next:
Court records show that Banks has a court appearance on the drug charge scheduled for Oct. 5.
What you can do:
McNew said students and others living on West Campus need to take precautions.
"We want to make sure that the students are securing their property, they're watching out for each other. If there are tools and different gadgets that they want to use, they need to implement them, but they need make sure that they all have a plan for their home, knowing their neighbors, how they can improve visibility, sight lines, their lights on," McNew said.
UTPD is advising residents in the area to be aware of their surroundings and lock their doors and windows.
Anyone who sees anything suspicious is advised to contact law enforcement by dialing 911 or through the LiveSafe app.
The Source: Information in this report comes from a Sept. 9 post by the University of Texas Police Department, Travis County court paperwork obtained on Sept. 10, previous reporting by FOX 7 Austin, and from an interview with SafeHorns President Joell McNew