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Suspect In San Jose State Dorm Gropings Arrested

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) - A man suspected of groping four women as they slept in a San Jose State University dormitory building early this morning has been identified as 21-year-old Michael Escobar, a university spokeswoman said.

Escobar, a junior majoring in sociology at SJSU, was arrested around noon today at an off-campus location, university spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris said.

He is not a resident at the dorm and lives off-campus in San Jose, Lopes Harris said.

Escobar has no prior arrests with the university's Police Department, she said.

Michael Escobar
21-year-old Michael Escobar, a junior at San Jose State University, is accused of groping four women in a dormitory on January 27, 2011. (San Jose Police Department)

The attacks were initially reported shortly after 3:30 a.m. by a female student who said she had been groped while she slept in her room at Joe West Hall, located at 375 S. Ninth St., Lopes Harris said.

After responding to the call and searching for the suspect, campus police found that three other women had also been groped at the 12-story building, prompting the issuance of an alert by the university warning students to lock their dorm rooms, Lopes Harris said.

"We have reason to believe the suspect was walking door-to-door checking for unlocked doors," she said.

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

None of the victims were injured or raped, Lopes Harris said.

She said a keycard issued by the school is required for entry into the dorm and for movement between floors on the elevators, but it is common for students to let "tailgaters" enter the building without a key.

Lopes Harris said Escobar was arrested on suspicion of burglary with intent to commit a felony offense.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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