BOISE -- Two police sketches have been released of the suspected prowler that has been seen near the Boise State campus.
A police sergeant said three people reported hearing noises in their yards or near their homes between midnight and 12:45 a.m. In one of those cases, the 911 caller heard someone jiggling the home's door handle.
In two cases in mid-September, the suspect gained entry into the homes, was found standing in the bedroom of a female resident and fled after being confronted. No injuries have been reported.
Officers and K9 police dogs were brought in to comb neighborhoods near Beacon Street and Boise Avenue, but the search did not turn up any suspects. The reports have occurred in the area east of South Capitol Blvd, west of South Broadway Avenue, south of West University Drive and north of West Highland Street.
Officers have been increasing patrols in that area since Wednesday, when a woman in the neighborhood told police someone tried to get into her home at night. Reports of similar incidents began in May, with two occurring in the area last month.
The women in the September cases both woke up to find the intruder standing in their bedrooms. Both times, he fled when confronted.
Lt. Bryan Hagler of the Boise Police Criminal Investigation Division praised the people who called police and said the prowler remains a "high priority" for police.
"The suspect is someone's neighbor, roommate, even family member, who is out on foot or his bike after midnight until just before sunrise," Hagler said in a press release. "Someone may have an idea who this guy is and we'd like to hear from them. It's also possible the suspect is watching residents prior to prowling around their homes at night. We're urging people to be very aware of their surroundings and to continue to immediately report anything out of the ordinary."
At least some of the residents in every home that was targeted are young women.
Most of the victims describe the prowler as a light-skinned man in his 20's or early 30s. The suspect is between 5'8 and six feet tall, with a medium build. During the incidents, he wore a white tank top and black zip-up hoodie.
Some of the victims described the man as "baby-faced," police say, while others reported he smelled like cigarettes. Officers believe the suspect likely lives in the area, and likely walks or bicycles in the Boise State area late at night and early in the morning.
A witness reportedly saw a suspicious person in the neighborhood at about the same time of the attempted break-ins. The witness says the man was wearing a pair of white Nike tennis shoes like those pictured and had white earbuds hanging around his neck draped over the hood of his sweatshirt.
Although the homes that were targeted are not part of the Boise State campus, many of the neighborhood's residents are students. The university announced plans to hold a crime prevention forum Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the Student Union Hatch C Ballroom.
Administrators say police won't discuss specifics of the prowler investigation at that meeting, but will focus instead on prevention and how students can protect themselves from crime.
Police have already stressed the importance of locking doors and windows, walking in groups and immediately reporting anything that seems suspicious.
"The department has a considerable amount of resources working on identifying who this suspect is," Hagler said. "A citizen tip, even an anonymous one with any information could be extremely valuable in bringing a sense of security back to this neighborhood."
