The ACU Police Department has received three calls in the past 10 days about a suspicious male knocking on doors of students living off-campus and asking the residents strange questions.
Lt. Randy Motz of the ACU Police said they were first notified of a suspicious male knocking on a student’s door on E.N. 13th St. on Jan. 19. They received two more calls, one on Friday from College Drive and another on Tuesday from Washington Boulevard.
Motz said ACU Police has an agreement with the Abilene Police Department: when a call comes from within a one-mile radius around campus, APD will call the ACU Police to respond, because they are closer and can arrive faster.
Motz said an unidentified male knocked on students’ doors and offered to do odd jobs, then began to ask personal questions. He said the man would ask the students if they lived alone, about their schedules, if they were married, if they were students, if they lived with their parents and other personal questions. The students became suspicious and called APD, who immediately informed ACU Police, who quickly responded.
“Always be cautious about opening your door to strangers. I know it’s hard in a Christian community where we are called to help people,” Motz said.
Motz said the suspect was described by several witnesses as tall with brown hair, skinny and “grungy looking,” possibly in his 40s.
He said if anyone sees a man fitting the description knocking on doors, they should immediately call APD or ACU Police.
“Get a good, detailed description of what this person looks like,” Motz said.
While the man had not threatened or hurt anyone, Motz said “common safety tips” such as locking doors and vehicles should be observed. He said people should pay attention to surroundings and never give out personal information to strangers.
Motz said the priority of ACU Police is the safety of ACU students, including those living off-campus. He said the department is increasing off-campus patrols and there are “a lot of eyes around campus.” If anyone sees anything suspicious, they should call the police immediately.
