DAHLONEGA - While officials say they don't believe there is an immediate threat, the University of North Georgia (UNG) Department of Public Safety has posted a timely notice safety alert related to a suspicious man in Dahlonega.
The notice relates to two events this month, one in a parking lot on the Dahlonega campus, the other off campus in Lumpkin County.
UNG officials on Wednesday said that authorities don't know if the incidents are related or involve the same man.
"We sent out the timely notice in an abundance of caution. The only link that we have are the two witnesses talking about a white vehicle and a white male, so those are the two things that are linked," UNG Police Department Chief Justin Gaines said.
"It is important to note that we don’t know if the two incidents are connected, so the notice was sent in an abundance of caution to help the campus community be alert to suspicious activity," Associate Vice President of University Relations Kate Maine said in an email to accessWDUN.
The off-campus incident happened on October 9 on Golden Avenue in Lumpkin County.
A female pedestrian reported that a man approached her around 5:00 p.m. and exposed himself after the two had engaged in small talk about a house in the area, according to the notice.
She ran to a nearby house to call 911 as the man chased her. Authorities said when the woman screamed for help, the man took off in his vehicle.
The suspect is described as having an olive complexion, 5-feet-7 inches tall and 165 pounds with dark clean-cut hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing a white T-shirt with a gothic cross. The suspect was driving a white hatchback car, according to the notice.
The on-campus incident happened in Dahlonega on Saturday, October 24, around 8:15 a.m.in Parking Lot 33.
"A guy in a white car basically following a student. That's just not normal activity for an individual. When she brought it to our attention, we decided at that point that we needed to send out a timely notice to allow our university community to know what events have occurred and also to keep an eye out should they see something else," Gaines said.
On that Saturday morning, the man was spotted in the parking lot, watching students from his car, a white Honda Accord, as they were leaving North Georgia Suites, according to the notice. The vehicle was registered out of Hall County.
The report indicated the man drove slowly through the parking lot several times before leaving the area, eastbound on Sunset Drive, headed toward W. Main Street.
The man was described as white, possibly in his mid 50's and weighing approximately 200 pounds. He had white hair and either light or no facial hair.
"We would like nothing more than to find who this person is and ask them - what are you doing, why are you following our students and making them feel uncomfortable?," Gaines said.
As part of the timely notice, the UNG Department of Public Safety put out three safety reminders for the university community.
Gaines said the first tip is to be aware of your surroundings.
"Wherever you are, just know what's around you, look for warning signs, keep your head on a swivel, because not everyone will wish you well, and we just live in that kind of world," Gaines said.
He also said when you're walking somewhere, take someone with you.
"It helps to have strength with the numbers, and it will deter someone who does not wish you well."
Gaines said the final reminder deals encouraging the university community to report anything they see that looks suspicious.
"(We) ask our students to program the number of our police department to their cell phone. The reason for that is that we can get help there very quickly."
Gaines said the department's average response time is three minutes, most of the time less than that.
To report information about either incident
UNG Police Central Dispatch: (706) 864-1500
email: [email protected]
