Sexual assault, other incidents at San Marcos apartment complex; police look for suspect

SAN MARCOS, Texas - The San Marcos Police Department is investigating multiple incidents at an apartment complex, and it believes the same person is responsible.

The incidents were reported between October 31 and November 1 and happened at the Copper Beach apartment complex in the 1700 block of Mill Street.

The suspect is described as follows:

• White or Hispanic male
• About 6" tall
• Heavyset with spiked or combed over hair
• Last seen wearing a gray shirt, black shorts and white shoes

"We have a couple of calls of what people frequently call a peeping tom, where the suspect was standing outside a bottom floor of an apartment peering inside through open windows, where the curtains were not pulled," says San Marcos Police Chief Stan Standridge.

"Because of the seriousness of the allegations, because the behavior seems to be growing worse, we want to get this out in front of our community, and solicit anybody to come forward who may be a victim or who may have information regarding this," Chief Stan Standridge added.

What we know about October 31 incident

A woman living in the apartment complex reported to police that she received a video from a neighbor on October 31 that appeared to show an unknown person looking into her bedroom window.

In the video, the unknown person appeared to look into the victim’s bedroom, while the victim was inside and partially undressed, for several seconds before running away.

"The female student in this case was either dressed, partially undressed etc.," says Chief Stan Standridge.

What happened on November 1

Just before 2:30 a.m. on November 1, a resident in a different building of the apartment complex reported seeing a man outside a ground floor apartment window. 

Police say the man appeared to be watching a female resident who was sitting at a desk while the blinds were open.

Officers responded to the scene, and did not locate anyone outside of the resident’s building. During a further search of the area, officers heard noises nearby and saw a man. Officers gave the man commands to stop, but the subject ran away through the complex and officers were not able to locate him.

Later the same day, San Marcos PD received additional reports from residents at the apartment complex. 

In one of the reports, a female victim told officers she was asleep with her boyfriend in his bedroom when she was awakened between 3 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. by an unknown man standing next to the bed and touching her inappropriately. The victim told police the man ran out of the room after she woke up and moved. 

A second victim was asleep with her boyfriend on the couch in the same apartment unit and told police she was also awakened by an unknown man between 3 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. who was touching her inappropriately. The second victim told police that when she woke up, the man ran out of the back door of the apartment unit and jumped off the back patio.

"There is yet another report where we believe the same suspect unlawfully entered a different apartment," says Chief Stan Standridge. 

A man matching the description of the offender reported to San Marcos PD by the other victims then entered an additional adjacent apartment and left through the back patio door.

"You have got to lock your apartment doors. I would also ask, especially at nighttime, that you pull your blinds closed. These crimes are sexually motivated, so, we need to close our blinds and prevent that voyerism aspect and then, if you are going to have to go outside, especially at night, I would ask that you try to find somebody to go with you," says Chief Stan Standridge.

The San Marcos Police Department is actively investigating the incidents and so far the suspect has not been identified or located. 

Anyone with doorbell or surveillance camera footage that captured an individual matching the description of the subject is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 512-753-2300.

The San Marcos Police Department reminds all residents to keep their doors and windows locked and remain vigilant. Any suspicious activity should be reported to police immediately.