Prosecutors say a sex offender who allegedly climbed through an unlocked window of an Endicott College student's dorm room and stood over her as she slept has a history of this kind of behavior.
Tyler Jacquard, 33, of Melrose, was arrested last year after a peeping incident at Wellesley College. Prior to that, in 2016, Jacquard was placed on probation for a lewd act in his car outside a Boston University dorm while looking at two women.
Jacquard was arrested last week by Endicott College campus police and held without bail on two counts of burglary and a charge of disorderly conduct following a hearing Monday in Salem District Court.
Jacquard has pleaded not guilty to all charges and his attorney claims the case "hinges on a shaky identification of his client."
On Nov. 8, campus police were called to a residence hall after a female student woke up to find an unknown male standing at the foot of her bed. The man left her room after being confronted.
Following that incident, Jacquard was allegedly spotted two other times on the Beverly, Mass. campus.
Another student called police later that night, claiming she saw a man fitting a similar description provided by the first student, inside her dorm. The man again fled the scene when the second student confronted him.
On Nov. 10, a third female student reported she saw a man peering into her dorm window as she was getting ready for bed.
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"At first I just thought it was a student because I don’t know sometimes college kids can get a little rowdy but I was really surprised to find it was an actual person and not a student," sophomore Rebecca Castonguay said.
“I just thought it was alarming that someone could walk right onto the campus and maybe into your room because a lot of people might not lock their windows or doors and at night they might forget," one student said.
Endicott College released a statement saying, "The safety of students is of the utmost importance at Endicott College. The College is constantly evaluating and implementing new initiatives to improve security activities on campus."
At a college known for its quiet solitude, this incident has caused plenty of pause on campus.
"I don’t know if I was surprised because things like this happen all the time. It's definitely scary and I think a lot of people never think its going to happen to you. Or near you. So I think that part of it just makes it more real that its happening on our campus," senior Emily Messinger said.
“Endicott College is such a private campus, so it was really scary," another student said.
Some students say they are going to be making changes in their daily lives as a result of the terrifying incident.
“We made a pact with our roommates. We are going to lock all of our doors, make sure our windows are shut and locked always, especially since we are on the first floor, so I can't even imagine,” said one student.
Jacquard will remain behind bars until his next court date, which has been scheduled for Jan. 7.
