The Oshkosh Police Department announced May 6 that they are investigating the third invasion of a women’s home in the last month after a male suspect entered a residence on the 800 block of John Avenue May 5. No one was injured in all three instances.
“Please remember to lock all windows and doors, make sure video surveillance cameras are in working order and immediately call police to report suspicious situations and suspicious people around the campus area,” OPD said in a news release May 6. “If you live in the area of where this occurred and have video surveillance cameras, we are asking you to review your footage to see if this suspect was recorded on your cameras.”
At approximately 1 a.m. May 5, a female reported to police that she had arrived at her house and found the male suspect standing at the edge of her unoccupied bed in her bedroom. According to OPD, the female screamed at the suspect and left the residence. When she returned a while later, the suspect was no longer there.
The male suspect is described as being approximately 6 feet, 2 inches tall wearing skinny jeans, a black shirt and a ski mask.
A similar incident occurred April 1 involving a male suspect who was reported to be wearing a slim fitting black jacket, dark pants, a white mask and was described as being around 6 feet, 2 inches tall with a skinny build. At the off-campus residence located in the 800 block of Vine Avenue, police say a female called at around 7:28 a.m. to report that the suspect was standing in the doorway to her bedroom and fled the scene after she yelled at him.
The second incident occurred April 14, when another female reported to police that a male had entered her house in the 1200 block of Wisconsin Avenue at around 4 a.m. The female told police that she woke up and saw the second male suspect standing over her while she was sleeping in her bed. Similar to the first incident, the female screamed at the suspect, and he fled the scene.
The suspect in the second incident is described as a white male, between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet tall with a muscular build and approximately college age with brown chin-length hair. According to the female at the scene, he was wearing a long-sleeved dark colored t-shirt, dark pants and a black ski mask that covered half of his face.
“We take incidents like these seriously and want to remind citizens to be aware of their surroundings for their personal safety,” an OPD press release said of the incidents. “Based off the differences in the suspect descriptions, it is unknown if these two incidents are related.”
Catherine Clark, one of the women who lives at the residence on Wisconsin Street, said she never once felt unsafe and didn’t think a break-in would ever happen where she lives.
“We used to not lock the doors if someone was home, but now after anyone leaves or enters the house, the door is locked,” Clark said. “It doesn’t matter if someone is home. Our doors will stay locked.”
Clark said the police handled the situation as best as they could have.
“They seemed a bit distressed that a similar thing happened twice, but they did everything they could to help,” Clark said “I think it’s important to note that the perpetrator may have done more than break in. He took undergarments from my roommate’s room and threw them all around our kitchen. It was gross and violating. The police suspected some disgusting acts were done with the undergarments too.”
The investigations are still ongoing and Oshkosh police urge anyone with information regarding the incidents to contact OPD at 920-236-5700 or the Winnebago County Crime Stoppers at 920-231-8477.
Clark said that she now finds herself scanning the area around her house when she leaves to see if anyone is watching her.
“I might sound a bit paranoid but I don’t want anything like that happening again,” Clark said. “The worst part is that the intruder actually broke in through an unlocked window and not a door. They scaled part of the house to get to that window. They were on a mission to get into our house and it was no joke or harmless prank. You really don’t think those things would happen to you until they do.”
Editor’s note: the names of the residents have been changed to protect their identity.
