News
Man booked as BR intruder
Published: Oct 02, 2003 - 11:28 PM
A former LSU student accused of sneaking into women's apartments to snuggle, fold their clothes and watch them sleep surrendered to authorities Tuesday. Steve E. Danos, 24, of Westwego appeared calm and neatly dressed as Baton Rouge detectives escorted him from the 1st District Police Station to a unmarked cruiser bound for East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
Police said Danos was accompanied by his attorney. He didn't comment about his arrest.
Danos, who was enrolled at LSU last year, is accused of entering at least 12 apartments on Sept. 21 near the university's campus through unlocked doors and windows.
He was booked on various counts, including simple burglary of an an inhabited dwelling.
None of the victims was hurt.
Many of the victims said they awoke to find a man watching them. One 18-year-old freshman said the intruder crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around her, arrest warrants say.
In some cases, the intruder folded their clothes or arranged their shoes. In one apartment, he apparently cooked some nachos, arrest warrants say.
The women described the intruder, who identified himself only as "Steve," as harmless or skinny, arrest warrants say.
Danos' case has drawn national media attention and left local law enforcement officials, coming off the south Louisiana serial killer investigation, surprised.
"Have we not learned to lock the damn doors?" Police Chief Pat Englade said to a community group last week about the news.
LSU Chancellor Mark A. Emmert sent an e-mail to all LSU students, calling the events "extremely unsettling."
"We cannot let our guards down or latch onto a false sense of security," he wrote.
"The simple act of locking a door or closing a window may be an inconvenience to a friend or roommate, but it might also prevent you, your friends, and your roommates from becoming victims of crime."
According to a police warrant, Danos entered nine apartments at the University Commons complex on Brightside Drive, about 2 miles south of LSU.
Fingerprints found in several of the apartments link Danos to the crimes, the police warrant says.
A Sheriff's Office warrant says Danos entered three apartments in a complex on Burbank Drive, also on Sept. 21. In all three, he allegedly stood over sleeping women, and when they awoke asked, "Where is the after-party?"
Danos is accused of taking a total of $140 from two purses, a warrant says.
One woman's boyfriend saw a man leave the apartment and get into a pickup truck registered to Danos' father, Steve Joseph Danos, the warrant says.
The women in the three apartments also identified Danos from a photographic line-up, the warrant says.
Danos was booked into Parish Prison Tuesday on six felony counts of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, three felony counts of unlawful entry of an inhabited dwelling and one count of simply battery, a misdemeanor, police spokeswoman Cpl. Mary Ann Godawa said.
Based on its warrant, the Sheriff's Office will add at least one count of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, two counts of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling and two counts of misdemeanor theft.
Godawa did not say where Danos has been since being accused of the crimes on Friday.
"We were notified shortly before he turned himself in, and he came down to this location," Godawa said. "He was very calm, very polite."
Danos faced a similar situation once before. He was arrested in March, accused of entering an unlocked apartment on Nicholson Drive. The occupant woke up as he was tugging on her sheets, an arrest warrant says.
Charged with a felony, Danos pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entry or remaining after forbidden. He was ordered to pay $940 in restitution, banned from the apartment complex and prohibited from contacting the victim.
He didn't go to jail.
East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Doug Moreau has said he didn't know if Danos would be offered a deal to spare him prison time.
Danos, who was enrolled at LSU last year, is accused of entering at least 12 apartments on Sept. 21 near the university's campus through unlocked doors and windows.
He was booked on various counts, including simple burglary of an an inhabited dwelling.
None of the victims was hurt.
Many of the victims said they awoke to find a man watching them. One 18-year-old freshman said the intruder crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around her, arrest warrants say.
In some cases, the intruder folded their clothes or arranged their shoes. In one apartment, he apparently cooked some nachos, arrest warrants say.
The women described the intruder, who identified himself only as "Steve," as harmless or skinny, arrest warrants say.
Danos' case has drawn national media attention and left local law enforcement officials, coming off the south Louisiana serial killer investigation, surprised.
"Have we not learned to lock the damn doors?" Police Chief Pat Englade said to a community group last week about the news.
LSU Chancellor Mark A. Emmert sent an e-mail to all LSU students, calling the events "extremely unsettling."
"We cannot let our guards down or latch onto a false sense of security," he wrote.
"The simple act of locking a door or closing a window may be an inconvenience to a friend or roommate, but it might also prevent you, your friends, and your roommates from becoming victims of crime."
According to a police warrant, Danos entered nine apartments at the University Commons complex on Brightside Drive, about 2 miles south of LSU.
Fingerprints found in several of the apartments link Danos to the crimes, the police warrant says.
A Sheriff's Office warrant says Danos entered three apartments in a complex on Burbank Drive, also on Sept. 21. In all three, he allegedly stood over sleeping women, and when they awoke asked, "Where is the after-party?"
Danos is accused of taking a total of $140 from two purses, a warrant says.
One woman's boyfriend saw a man leave the apartment and get into a pickup truck registered to Danos' father, Steve Joseph Danos, the warrant says.
The women in the three apartments also identified Danos from a photographic line-up, the warrant says.
Danos was booked into Parish Prison Tuesday on six felony counts of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, three felony counts of unlawful entry of an inhabited dwelling and one count of simply battery, a misdemeanor, police spokeswoman Cpl. Mary Ann Godawa said.
Based on its warrant, the Sheriff's Office will add at least one count of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, two counts of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling and two counts of misdemeanor theft.
Godawa did not say where Danos has been since being accused of the crimes on Friday.
"We were notified shortly before he turned himself in, and he came down to this location," Godawa said. "He was very calm, very polite."
Danos faced a similar situation once before. He was arrested in March, accused of entering an unlocked apartment on Nicholson Drive. The occupant woke up as he was tugging on her sheets, an arrest warrant says.
Charged with a felony, Danos pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entry or remaining after forbidden. He was ordered to pay $940 in restitution, banned from the apartment complex and prohibited from contacting the victim.
He didn't go to jail.
East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Doug Moreau has said he didn't know if Danos would be offered a deal to spare him prison time.
