University Police apprehended a suspect Tuesday night believed to have illegally entered a Lambeth Field apartment Sunday. Police charged Charles Winston Turner Jr. of Charlottesville with breaking and entering following the weekend incident.
Turner allegedly entered a student apartment and fled soon after being discovered, according to police reports.
Second-year Architecture student Yvi Nguyen said she left her apartment at noon Sunday with her parents. While leaving, she noticed a man approaching the building. Nguyen said she thought that he looked out of place, because she had not seen him in the Lambeth area before.
After forgetting her medication, Nguyen said she returned to her apartment to retrieve it. She heard the door close behind, and she turned around and saw the man from the stairs inside. He ran into the bathroom and partially closed the door. Nguyen went to her room, shut the door and sent an Internet message to her apartmentmates to see if anyone else was there.
When she did not get a response, she left her room and closed the bathroom door with the intruder still inside. Nguyen began to scream, alerting second-year College student Jenny Seifert, one of Nguyen's roommates, that there was a man in their apartment.
The two went into Seifert's room and locked the door behind them, not knowing what to do.
"I don't know why we didn't call 911," Nguyen said. "I think we were in shock - We didn't know what to do at all."
They waited several minutes before they emerged to find that the man had left. They called the University Police Department several hours later.
Although both girls said they were not concerned about safety before Sunday, this incident has made them change their minds.
"It's just scary to think that you can't be safe in your own apartment," Seifert said.
Nguyen identified the suspect Monday in a police photo line-up. Turner is scheduled to appear in Charlottesville General District Court on May 10.
The incident, in addition to the student attack on March 9 near Lambeth Commons, has raised concern about safety in University housing, especially around Lambeth Field apartments.
Because Lambeth is in such an open area, it is nearly impossible to prevent people from wandering in and out, said Laura Crawley, Residence Life area coordinator for upperclassmen suites and apartments.
Students should use common sense, exercise caution when walking alone and travel in groups whenever possible, Crawley said. Students also should not prop doors open and should get in the habit of locking their doors, she added.
"We need everybody to keep the facility and community safe," Crawley said. "It's everybody's job."
University administrators also stressed the need for increased awareness.
"It just goes to show that the University community needs to be ever vigilant," Asst. Dean of Students Aaron Laushway said.
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