Attempted burglar seen on campus

An unidentified man was spotted peeking through the curtained windows of a Whipple Park apartment at 10:39 p.m. on Sept. 10. A UR student saw the suspect and confronted him, at which time the man fled the scene in a vehicle parked nearby. UR Security and Brighton Police arrived on the scene a few minutes later but the suspect had already gone by then.”Luckily, the resident gave a good description of the man,” Director of UR Security Walter Mauldin said. The Brighton Police used the description to determine that the suspicious man is Gerald Krouth. Krouth is wanted for questioning in a series of burglaries that occurred this past weekend.”[He] is known in the criminal justice system,” Mauldin said. “His behavior was suspicious.However, it is unclear what his next steps were.” No break-in attempts or burglaries were reported, according to Security. However, Mauldin warned that much is yet to be confirmed before jumping to conclusions. “The facts are not clear yet, but we have sufficient concern,” he said.Brighton Police have issued a Crime Information Bulletin for Krouth, who is linked in several other burglary-related incidents over the weekend. A burglary and an attempted burglary were reported in the early morning on Sept. 11 at the Elmwood Terrace Apartments. Brighton Police Investigator Gary Ciulla has named Krouth as a suspect behind this as well.”This activity is rare on campus,” Mauldin said. “Students, especially those living in apartments, should be vigilant, but not worried or stressed. Continue to lock the doors at night and don’t leave the spare key in obvious places.”Krouth is a white, 43-year old male who is 5 feet 10 inches and 200 pounds. He fled the Whipple Park Apartment in a dark green 1999 Mercury Sable with the New York license plate BEX1414. If he is spotted on campus, students are warned not to approach or attempt to apprehend him. Instead, they are advised to notify Security immediately by picking up a Blue Light Emergency phone, dialing 13 from any other campus phone or dialing 413 from any Verizon or Cingular service cellular phone.”Hopefully with the Brighton Police we will be able to resolve this [problem] quickly,” Mauldin said. If anyone has any information regarding these incidents, they are encouraged to contact Security or the Brighton Police as soon as possible.To find out more information concerning Krouth or the on campus incident, go to the Security Web site at http://www.security.rochester.edu.Paret can be reached ateparet@campustimes.org.