Huron High School parents alerted to indecent exposures in area
This story has been updated.
Huron High School principal Arthur Williams alerted parents that the Ann Arbor Police Department has taken 3 reports of indecent exposure near the high school, according to an email obtained by AnnArbor.com
Huron High School.
Ann Arbor Public Schools photo
Ann Arbor Police Lt. Angella Abrams said she had no knowledge of the reports as of Thursday afternoon, but confirmed police were aware of them.
Williams asked the school’s parents to discuss the information with their students and told them to be alert and report any suspicious behavior to school administrators.
Police released a crime alert to crime watch block captains earlier on Thursday, which was obtained by AnnArbor.com.
On Aug. 6, a 32-year-old woman was walking on the north side of Fuller Road by Huron, when she observed a vehicle parked the wrong way in the high school’s drive way. The woman approached the vehicle and a man opened his door and stood up, revealing that he was completely naked.
She described the man was a white man in his 60s, about 5-foot-10 inches tall, weighing approximately 230 pounds. He had a “bulbous nose” and was wearing round wire framed glasses, with drak brown hair parted in the middle. He was driving a navy blue vehicle.
On Aug. 21, a University of Michigan student was driving westbound when she saw a nude white man standing on the south sidewalk near 800 Fuller St. He then began walking westbound on the same sidwalk.
The suspect was an overweight white male in his 50s, about 5-foot-9 inches tall with brown shoulder-length, curly hair with no glasses.
The second incident on Aug. 21 involved a 31-year-old woman walking on the north side of the 2700 block of Fuller Road near Huron. The woman saw the suspect’s vehicle backing up in Huron parking lot , near the west-most entrance off Fuller. She continued to walk on the sidewalk when a man exited the driver’s side of the vehicle.
This man was also completely nude. The woman said the male suspect was smiling at her, before she ran away closer to the roadside.
The suspect is described as a white man in his 50s, between 5-foot-8 inches and 5-foot-9 inches tall, with “scraggly” blond-brown, wavy hair wearing yellow-brown tinted sunglasses. He was driving a dark blue 4-door vehicle.
There was one other incident in September 2010 when cross-country runners from Huron observed a naked man who was close to the descriptions given in the latest incidents.
Ann Arbor schools spokesperson Liz Margolis said the police are on top of the situation and asked the district to send out the alert. There have been no threats toward any of the people who have observed the man nude, she said.
“The man has never been threatening but has just appeared as people have approached him while he was sitting in a parked car,” she said in a statement. “He appears naked and at one time told the runner that he wasn’t going to do anything and just stood there.”
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
jns131
Sun, Sep 4, 2011 : 5:05 p.m.
And most of these children are walking to and from school starting in September. I really hope the police are on top of this. O wait, they are on top of the prostitution rings in Ypsilanti. But then maybe they are coming to Ann Arbor because we are fed up with them in our town? Anyone need bear spray? That does wonders as a deterrent.
newsboy
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.
Why is nudity and old age a crime, or sex crime? There never seems to be much compassion for eccentric people or those who don't live in beige houses. I moved to Ann Arbor years ago because it was the land of the free. Now every time I read the news someone feels vindicated by ratting on their neighbor, like the little puritan stool pigeons they are. Did anyone every think to just walk up and talk to this guy; without calling the cops? Maybe it was hot outside and his cars ac was out or someone sold him clothing made of false hopes? If this is a serious crime Ann Arbor is a pretty boring place to live, anyone for cow tipping?
Wolf's Bane
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 4:31 p.m.
Crazy old naked guy? Crazy, yes, but definitely not dangerous.
Buster W.
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 4:17 p.m.
Bulbous nose, dark hair, 50-60's, 230 lbs., navy blue vehicle, wire-framed glasses.....license plate? Unknown.
Mitch
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 1:34 p.m.
These students are in school to learn about academia from teachers who are your aides in raising your kids. What are YOU doing to teach your kid about self defense? A regular can of wasp killer and a shot to bare genitals will do wonders. I bet this dork would still be on the ground reeling in pain when the cops got there. The good peace officers of our community are to keep the peace. The US supreme court as ruled that we are each responsible to keep our own individual safety. What are you doing to keep your corner of the world safe??? And BRAVO Nicki!!
Nickie
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 7:10 a.m.
@Ahmar Iqbal- I don't understand why your feel that the school system, during the summer, should alert you to the fact that there is a naked man in your community. You have been alerted and informed about this man via the MASS MEDIA, which is better at this time of the year, than an automated telephone call or an email from the communications department at AAPS. When we, as parents, start to take a little more responsibility for ourselves, our children and our community and stop expecting someone else to do everything, we won't have these kinds of problems. You lay none of the blame for this guy remaining at large on the Police Department, who actually serve and protect, and who could have undercover or unmarked cars patrolling the area. Nor do you accept any responsibility that you and your neighbors have done nothing to make your presence in that area obvious. If you need to be told by the school system, to tell your 9th grade daughter to, "be aware", "be safe" and, to "walk in pairs" in this day and age, especially with a serial rapist on the loose, you got deeper issues. Man up!
Ahmar Iqbal
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 4:33 p.m.
Appreciate your comments, but respectfully disagree because I believe that the school administration could do more than simply sending an "email alert." This includes better coordination with the police department so they are informed as soon as potential incidents arise as well as sharing the description of the suspect at registration with students and engaging parents more effectively than simply sending an "email alert." Obviously we "trust" that the school is managed in the safest possible manner. Fire drills, lock downs, health issues, etc. are part of today's school safety milieu. Similarly, I would like the school administration to be more forthcoming and engaging so we can all work towards maintaining a safe school environment.
RJA
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 6:09 a.m.
Seeing this man naked would be enough threat to me. I don't like the delay of this report.
smokeblwr
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 12:10 a.m.
How long before the usual comments arrive proposing arming the Huron campus for protection from this wayward Adonis? Not long.
Urban Sombrero
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 10:22 p.m.
Wanted to add: hopefully the next person to see this dude will think quickly and be carrying a phone with a camera, so they can snap a picture of him.
Urban Sombrero
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 10:21 p.m.
"He had a "bulbous nose" and was wearing round wire framed glasses, with drak brown hair parted in the middle. He was driving a navy blue vehicle." I believe that should be DARK brown hair. I got the robo-call from AAPS today. This kind of freaks me out! My son will be starting there, as a freshman, next week. I hope they're able to catch this creep. Though, with the luck they're having catching the rapist, I kind of doubt it.
xmo
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 9:34 p.m.
What is everybody getting upset about? If this was done at the ART FAIR, it would be bold, cutting edge, etc. This is Ann Arbor, the ART CITY, and the Human Form is ART! So enjoy it!
WalkingJoe
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 11:36 p.m.
I do not think this comment is funny and can not believe that annarbor.com left it here. This is a serious situation and if my daughters were still going to Huron I would be very concerned just as think all the parents of the current Huron students are.
Sallyxyz
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 9:19 p.m.
Check the michigan dot gov website for the list of registered sex offenders living in the area near the VA and Huron High. Might not reveal anything, but maybe worth a check. Students at Huron need to be alerted to a description of this guy and his vehicle. "The man has never been threatening but has just appeared as people have approached him while he was sitting in a parked car," she said in a statement. "He appears naked and at one time told the runner that he wasn't going to do anything and just stood there." Just because this guy hasn't been threatening so far, doesn't mean that he won't be threatening in the future. This person obviously has a problem and could become more aggressive at some point.
A2Woman
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 12:18 a.m.
You can also sign up for email alerts, when a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood, by zip code. You do this through the Michigan State Police website. I live in the Pioneer neighborhood, and we had a registered sex offender move into our school zone several years ago, with his uncle. He was not very welcome by the neighbors, and he didn't stay too long, after much letter-writing.
Ahmar Iqbal
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 9:19 p.m.
My daughter will be a sophomore at Huron next week and this report is very alarming. If these incidents happened on Aug 6 and Aug 21, why is the school now informing us, 10 days after the latest incident? Was the school administration hopeful the person or persons would be apprehended and thus this issue would be resolved? Even if the police had apprehended a suspect, that could be the wrong person or perhaps there was one than one person involved, so we should as parents and students have been immediately informed of these incidents by the school administration. Just like the city police issues crime alerts, the school administration should issue potential crimes that happen near the schools as well. The U of M and other public universities do this. Even if such reporting is not required by law, it seems pretty common sense approach. My daughter just attended registration last week at Huron and perhaps that would have been an opportune time to discuss school safety and this incident with incoming students? How could the school administration miss such an opportunity? Huron High School has a dedicated "police officer" on school salary as does each of the other two high schools. Certainly this would be in their purview to issue a safety flyer encouraging students to walk in pairs and other safety measures. It would also have given parents comfort that everything possible is being done to keep our school campus safe. Definitely the police's job is to capture this man, but our school administration's responsibility is to maintain a safe school environment and not only inform us immediately about potential threats, but educate our students on safety measures. Why is more not being done then simply sending an e mail out the weekend before school begins to "alert" the parents and students? It seems a very relaxed attitude at the school administration that they have "done their job."
lynel
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 10:12 p.m.
You should be running for school board....oh wait, you are.
Sallyxyz
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 9:21 p.m.
Because AAPS doesn't want any negative PR about their schools, regardless of reality.
DonBee
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 8:58 p.m.
... and with a larger walk zone for the middle schools as well as walk only for the high school students, there will be a large audience for this guy.
Susan Montgomery
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 8:34 p.m.
Neighborhood block captains received a report on these incidents this morning, reporting 4 cases of indecent exposures on near the VA hospital or near Huron on 9/23/10, 8/6/11, and 2 on 8/21/11 all involving an overweight while male in his 50's completely naked who tried to talk to the victims. Three referred to his leaving a parked car to do so. Kyle, I emailed you the full version of the report, too long to include as a comment.
Kyle Feldscher
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.
Thank you, Susan. I've incorporated the crime alert into the story.
Bertha Venation
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 8:09 p.m.
"Williams asked the school's parents to discuss the information with their students and told them to be alert..." So parents have students? I thought parents had children.
John of Saline
Fri, Sep 2, 2011 : 4:33 p.m.
My parents got into a LONG discussion with a student, a politically-correct parent-orientation guide on campus in the early 1990s. The guide INSISTED that we (the incoming freshmen) were "students" and not "children." She said my parents should refer to me as "their student," not "their child." My mom pointed out that, if I was not a student, that wouldn't leave a way to reference me at all that met the guide's approval. "My gas-station attendant"? "My deadbeat"? The guide was very humorless in that special, politically-correct, look-down-the-nose-at-intellectual-inferiors way. She was NOT amused. But she also had no answer.
Susan Montgomery
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 8:32 p.m.
Dr. Williams' messages are always sent to "Huron Families" and refer to our "students." This is meant to be inclusive wording that acknowledges that not all students live with their parents. Some live with grand-parents, as I did when I was in high school, or guardians. I much appreciate his choice of words.