For the third time since summer began, police are investigating a report of burglary while a victim was asleep.
It is the second time the report is coming from a room at Brookside on College, located on Walnut Street.
Columbia police officers responded to the apartment complex at 3:11 a.m. Thursday. The female victim said she woke up to a man rolling on top of her. The suspect quickly fled. He gained access to the room through an unlocked door.
The victim described the suspect as a 5-foot-7-inch male with a light complexion, possible Middle Eastern descent, a thick accent, thin build and short brown hair, according to a Columbia Police Department news release.
Brookside could not be reached for comment at time of publication.
The incident and suspect description matches those of two previous cases.
Police were also dispatched to Walnut Street on July 26. That victim, also female, reported she was asleep when she felt someone touching her sexually, according to a prior CPD news release.
“The victim woke up and saw a male … getting out of her bed and putting on his shorts,” the release said.
No further description was given. The suspect also entered the apartment through an unlocked door.
In June, officers arrived at 116 Bicknell St. in response to a similar burglary. The two victims were females, ages 30 and 28, but a 12-year-old and an 8-year-old were also home at the time.
The suspect did not attempt to steal anything, but one of the victims reported she woke up to the suspect standing next to her bed masturbating.
The suspect was described as 6 feet 1 inch tall with a thin build. He wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. He also might have been armed with a handgun, according to an earlier news release.
At the time of the second burglary, no public comment was made connecting it to the June incident. After the third incident, officers established a connection.
All three investigations are still ongoing.