Correction Appended: An earlier version of this story contained a statement that inadvertently made it sound like the suspect had been convicted of a crime.
Christopher Filipek
Residents of Oxford Housing can now safely reopen their blinds since a man wanted for masturbating outside windows was arrested this week.
Christopher Filipek, 30, who had been accused of exposing himself and masturbating outside of an Oxford study room twice in November, was charged at his arraignment yesterday with six total counts — at least one of which includes indecent exposure. The Ann Arbor Police Department cited Filipek with four counts and the Department of Public Safety cited him with two counts from the Oxford incidents.
Yesterday afternoon, an e-mail was issued to University students, faculty and staff canceling the crime alert issued on Nov. 11, which reported that a white male with an average build and about 5 feet, 8 inches tall was spotted masturbating in public. He wore a hooded sweatshirt that hid his face on both occasions.
Filipek, who isn’t a member of the University community, was arrested on Wednesday and may be convicted with a felony — rather than the usual misdemeanor charge — for a count of indecent exposure.
DPS spokeswoman Diane Brown said yesterday that evidence from the investigation implies that Filipek “indicated disregard for the consequences or the rights of others.”
The enhanced sentencing would qualify him as a “sexually delinquent person,” Brown said, and may put him in prison for life.
AAPD Lt. Angela Abrams confirmed Filipek was arrested Wednesday but said the detectives weren’t available for further comment at that time.
The arrest was the result of a three-month investigation, which involved intensive measures including surveillance, according to Brown.
Filipek was initially a person of interest in the investigation at the end of 2010, according to Brown. But Brown said he became a suspect in the case when AAPD officers arrested him on Jan. 14 for prowling in the Oxford area.
A specific piece of evidence against Filipek was photos he took of people through their windows while they were in their homes, according to Brown. She added that she does not know if the photos depict students.
There are no reports of Filipek coming into physical contact with other people while lurking outside residences, Brown said.
“It’s difficult to determine if it might have escalated into other behavior, but we’re pleased to get him off the street and have him deal with the consequences,” Brown said.