Police looking for male intruder

For more information on the Chapel Hill intruder incidents, read our FAQ here.

Junior Kristin Dravis didn’t feel the man’s touch on the back of her leg at first.

“I kind of woke up and didn’t think anything about it because the sensation wasn’t there,” she said. “I fell back asleep again and then the guy grabbed my thigh, and I woke up and the guy was standing over me.

“I didn’t scream,” Dravis said. “I said, ‘Oh my God.’ The guy wasn’t scared. He just very calmly turned around and walked out.”

Between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. Friday, an unidentified man entered the houses of two groups of students living off campus, including Dravis and her roommate Catherine Smith, who live on the 300 block of Church Street.

Chapel Hill police spokesman Lt. Kevin Gunter said in both cases the man entered through unlocked front doors, after which he entered the bedrooms of three students. He left upon his discovery each time.

But Dravis and Smith said they locked their door, and students have more to worry about besides remembering to turn the dead bolt.

“I’m 99 percent sure the doors were locked,” Smith said. “Nothing is 100 percent, but I’m pretty sure.”

Dravis said she left a spare key hidden outside for her boyfriend. She and Smith think the intruder watched the house, stole the key and used it to gain entry.

“I never realized that it was stolen. I thought my boyfriend had it,” Dravis said. “It wasn’t in a place where you would just assume there was a key.”

The other incident occurred on the 300 block of Pritchard Avenue, Gunter said.

“The two women were awoken when they saw a strange man in their bedrooms waving a cell phone in front of their face,” Gunter said.

He said the women screamed, and the man immediately left.

Gunter said no one was injured and nothing was reported stolen in either incident.

The students described the intruder as a 6-foot-tall black male, with a medium build and very short hair. The intruder may also have some facial hair resembling a thin goatee. The victims were not able to distinguish an age.

After the incidents, the UNC Public Safety Department posted the information as urgent breaking news on its home page and posted it on the department’s Facebook page.

Public safety spokesman Randy Young said the department regularly collaborates with town police on news which affects students.

“We live in a large community, and a little bit of shared responsibility and partnering can go a long way,” he said.

Although the burglaries didn’t occur on campus, Young said the incident should serve as a warning to all students.

“It’s a reminder to the campus environment to maintain a level of alertness and to report all suspicious activity,” he said.

Smith said she and Dravis had their locks changed Saturday. They have a set of two keys, and they don’t plan on making any more or hiding a spare outside.

“Don’t leave a key for someone in an obvious place,” Smith said. “If someone needs to get in the house, you can let them in.”

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.