User:Jasmine Carlton/Sandbox

Overview
The Elon Exhibitionist is the name given to link a series of public nudity displays that have occurred at Elon University since January 6, 2008 until the present. The identity of the Exhibitionist is unknown and witness descriptions vary. He is consistently described as a white male in his early twenties and is often seen wearing sunglasses, a hooded sweatshirt, and jeans. The displays of public nudity at Elon University have been irregular in the level of actual crimes and consistency and the level of crimes committed. Accounts of the incidents vary, however several of the testimonies detail a man approaching women and either masturbating or exposing himself. On a few occasions he has been caught masturbating in the residence of his targets. Because of the commonalities of the incidents it is generally assumed that the cases are related, however, campus and town officials have yet to release a report either confirming or denying this claim because there is no evidence to support the statement. As of now, the identity of the Elon Exhibitionist is still unknown.

Investigation
With a range of indecent exposure crimes committed in the greater Burlington area over the past few years, the town of Elon, and Elon University more specifically, has in recent years and months been plagued with a “string of indecent crimes.” The Elon Campus Police and Town of Elon Police have been working together non-stop to crack down on the number of indecent exposure reports, in addition improving security responses on the Elon University campus. Many records of these events have been filed and are reported in the local Times News as well as Elon University’s campus newspaper, The Pendulum; along with a thread of emails from Smith Jackson, Vice President and Dean of Student Life at Elon University. The culprit(s) of these crimes is still a mystery; yet, investigators are proceeding in their investigations as more descriptions are coming in. Since the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, Elon University has seen a number of on campus and off-campus housing occurrences related to a local “flasher.” From reports of public masturbation to sexual harassment, these crimes have seem to rise in recent months, heightening awareness and making many feel uncomfortable. Most of the reports are similar in nature; female students report men proceeding to “expose and gratify” themselves in their presence. However, in recent times these reports have gone from primarily public and outdoor confrontations, to now men entering the homes of the victims, praying on and even assaulting them at times. Descriptions of the latest reports of indecent exposure (and those related to such) are as follows:

Sept. 9, 2009
Morlai Lawson, 17, who is not a student at Elon University, was arrested around 4:43 p.m. on charges of indecent exposure after the victim of the exposure described him to campus police.

Oct. 30, 2009
At approximately 9:25 p.m. at the residence of Elon students on E. Summerbell Avenue (in the area behind town hall), a female student reported that she heard someone knock on the window to her house. When she approached the widow, the stranger made suggestive comments to her. She said the male sounded older than a college age student, had a strong southern accent, and had facial hair.

Oct. 30, 2009
Just after 10:00 p.m. on East Haggard Avenue, between Phoenix Arms and University Pointe, a student heard a knock at her back door. She looked out the window and saw the arm of a white male who was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. He was exposing himself. The police arrived, canvassed the area, and searched with a canine unit, but did not apprehend the suspect.

Dec. 13, 2009
A female Elon student reported early Sunday morning to the Town of Elon Police that at 3:30 a.m. she had just returned to her house on W. College Avenue when the doorbell rang. She answered the door to find a male she did not know. After a brief conversation, he asked if he could rub her feet. She said no and then slammed and locked the door. He continued to look at our student through the window next to the door. As he reached toward his belt as if to un-do his pants, she ran to her bedroom and called 911. Town police were close by and responded quickly, but did not find the prowler whom she described as a white male, 28 to 35 years old, wearing a dark blue pullover hoody with the hood up. The front of the hoody had white lettering. He was wearing baggy or full-cut blue jeans with the front thigh section faded or well worn in appearance. He has short, light brown hair with bangs. He has a fair complexion with no facial hair, with freckles or small moles on his cheekbones.

Jan. 24, 2010
A female student called 911 tonight to report that at 3 a.m. she was physically assaulted while walking alone on Lee Street, near the intersection on College Avenue, two blocks from campus. A male came up to her, grabbed her arm and asked where she was going. After she responded, he pushed her into a light pole and punched her in the stomach before running away. She described the assailant as a white male, 6 feet tall with brown hair, in his late 20's and wearing a dark sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Feb. 15, 2010
At approximately 6:15 p.m. a female student called(911)to report that while walking home from campus she had seen a white male masturbating as he drove by her in a champagne colored Honda in the area of Kerr Street and Lawrence Avenue.

Feb. 15, 2010
Elon Town Police responded to a 911 call at approximately 11:30 p.m. from two female Elon students who reported an intruder in their residence adjacent to the campus on Williamson Avenue. One of the students reported she was entering her bedroom after taking a shower in the adjacent bathroom (she was robed) to find an unknown male masturbating. The student screamed, pushed her way by the intruder, and ran outside the front door of her house. The student was not harmed. The intruder also exited through the unlocked front door through which he had gained entrance to the house. The town police was notified 20 minutes later and responded with four cars and a canine unit. They were unable to find the intruder but are continuing to actively investigate the incident. The intruder is described as a white male with brown, wavy hair of medium length. He is 5’10” in height, weighs 200 pounds, and has a medium build. He was wearing faded blue jeans and a dark windbreaker.

Feb. 16, 2010
At approximately 7:45 p.m. a female student reported to the town police that she had been followed by a male in a beige 3-door car while jogging in the Millpoint/Truitt Drive area. The student did not have a good description of the male except that he was wearing a dark hoody and blue jeans. The male stopped the car and followed her until she got to the railroad tracks. She called a friend on her cell phone and stayed on the line until she arrived at her residence hall on campus. At that point she called campus security, who called 911. Since the incident occurred off campus, the Town of Elon Police led the investigation.

Feb. 19, 2010
Around 6:30 p.m. a female Elon student said that she was walking in the Food Lion parking lot on South Church when a man in a Honda started following her. As the car pulled up alongside her she saw the male driver in his 30s gratifying himself in the car. Our student described the male as heavyset with brown wavy hair; the student reported he might have been wearing glasses. The car was a beige or champagne 4-door Honda that was an older model (“boxy not curvy like the new ones”).

From the many occurrences reported by females both on campus and some living in off-campus housing, a composite drawing of the “flasher” has since been released.

Popular Culture
The Elon Exhibitionist has become somewhat of an iconic figure among Elon students, who refer to him as “The Bator”, derived from the exhibitionist’s tendency to masturbate to the women that have seen him. Incidents of The Bator have spurred You-Tube videos and a Facebook profile devoted to The Bator’s latest exploits. His activities frequently appear on the student-made Facebook profile of Elon’s Residence Life Director Smith Jackson, SMITH JACKSON EMAILS, who sends out mass emails to the student body whenever incidents involving the exhibitionist are reported to Elon Police or Campus Safety. Facebook posts about the exhibitionist, such as this one:

''At most schools, crimes are typical: shoplifting, underaged drinking, cocaine bust, maybe a murder or two, indecent exposure by some naive girl streaking for initiation into a sorority, maybe a savvy business major running a ponzi scheme. At Elon, our criminals masturbate.''

The above quote is a blog entry which was posted to the “Smith Jackson Emails” facebook profile. Some students have complained about this type of publicity for “The Bator”, because they feel that it takes away from the seriousness of a string of occurrences that could be potentially dangerous to the victims. Student opinion of the Elon Exhibitionist is divided among the general student body. Student polls have found that the division lies primarily along gender lines. Female students have expressed concern over the issue and demand increased security measures, whereas most male student tend to find the incidents of indecent exposure more humorous.