Man Arrested for Breaking into Sorority House
A man with a lengthy criminal record has been apprehended for sneaking into a sorority house at the University of California, Berkeley. Authorities report that he was observed watching young women shower and even stealing their underwear.
Courtney Alford, 45, was taken into custody on Wednesday, just days after sorority members reported a strange man lingering around the Alpha Chi Omega House. The troubling incidents began when students spotted him rummaging through a co-ed room early in the morning, around 6 a.m. Some other students, however, claimed to have seen him wandering around the property as early as 3 a.m.
Upon reviewing security footage, police confirmed that a man, believed to be Alford, was seen entering and exiting the building multiple times until approximately 6:35 a.m. Disturbingly, at one point he appeared to change his clothing, wearing a ski mask to cover his face.
This unsettling event unfolded during the early hours when students were returning from Halloween festivities in the nearby Greek Row, a lively area packed with fraternities and sororities. During the investigation, officers discovered that Alford had taken not only the students’ underwear but also several slices of pizza.
According to Officer Byron White of the Berkeley Police Department, at least two students shared their frightening encounters. One reported waking up to find Alford near her bed, while another recounted how he had been spying on her during her shower.
Police were already familiar with Alford; in fact, one officer recognized him from previous encounters with law enforcement. They arrested him without incident at his home in Castro Valley, California, on November 5. In a search of his residence, officials recovered various weapons, including parts of an assault rifle and over 900 rounds of ammunition.
Not surprisingly, Alford has a history of various convictions in Alameda County for offenses like robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and more. He is scheduled for another arraignment on charges of lewd conduct with a child on November 18, just half an hour before his pretrial hearing for the sorority house incident.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has charged him with 15 counts, which include voyeurism, invasion of privacy, firearm possession by a felon, and unlawful entry. He is currently being held in Santa Rita Jail with a bail set at $275,000.
