The case of the “Coronado Creeper” is closed.
UNMPD had a suspect in the alleged breaking and entering and criminal sexual contact of three women in Coronado Hall that occurred Oct. 27. However, none of the three women could identify the perpetrator, said UNMPD spokesman Robert Haarhues.
“That case has been inactivated. We don’t have any more suspects or any more information,” he said. “We talked to the suspect. He’s not admitting anything.”
None of the three victims were available for comment Monday.
An incident similar to this semester’s Coronado creeper case occurred five years ago, but the suspect in that case was convicted.
On Oct. 30, 2004, a resident of the Laguna/DeVargas dorms — wearing only tennis shoes — broke into at least three rooms occupied by women, according to the UNMPD police report.
Lucy Buecking, one of the victims, said she was awakened by a man in the early hours of Oct. 30.
“It was like one of those dreams, that, like, if your clock radio goes off and the song will play in your dream,” she said. “I felt a draft in my dream and I rolled over and there was a dude in just his tennis shoes who was lifting up my bed covers, and I screamed bloody murder.”
The three victims later identified the man. Haarhues said the man was eventually charged with nine counts of criminal trespass. He was subsequently expelled from UNM and sentenced to nine months in prison.
Buecking said Dean of Students Randy Boeglin mishandled the incident.
“Randy Boeglin … insisted on being a part of all of it and just in charge of the taking care of the entire thing,” she said. “Nobody showed up on the prosecuting side.
Then, my mom called Randy Boeglin and Randy said there was nothing that could be done about it.”
Buecking said her mother then called UNMPD Chief Kathy Guimond, who set the legal proceedings in motion.
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Boeglin said he remembers the five-year-old case, and, while privacy laws prevented him from outlining specific punishments, he said the man’s actions had consequences.
“The student who was the alleged perpetrator had a very consequential disciplinary procedure levied against him,” Boeglin said. “My last conversation with this woman (Buecking) was her thanking me for my assistance.”
Boeglin said he has no influence in citywide legal proceedings.
“I have nothing to do with a legal case that goes downtown,” he said. “The police don’t send us generally what they are going to do. There are two responses that happen when a case like this happens. One is internal. One is external. I’m not involved in the second process.”
After the incident five years ago, Boeglin said Residence Life and Student Housing took steps to prevent similar crimes. He said RLSH offered safety classes to residents and reviewed internal security measures, but the organization didn’t make any policy changes regarding dorm security.
Buecking said only one safety class was offered, and more could have been done to inform residents about how to remain safe on campus.
“There was a special prevention/self defense meeting in the basement of Laguna Two. I lived in Laguna Three,” she said. “And there was just one meeting. I don’t recall any other meetings for any subsequent semesters or years that I lived in the dorms.”
Boeglin said the prevention classes are only offered per request, and no such requests were made after this year’s incident in Coronado.
Since she graduated, Buecking said she has not kept in contact with the other victims from the 2004 crime, but she does still visit campus.
“I still get really startled when I wake up, and I couldn’t sleep for about two weeks,” she said. “But that’s really it. I still feel relatively secure here.”
To report a suspicious character, call UNMPD at 277-2241.
