University Police yesterday arrested a man on sexual assault charges in Worcester Hall after students living there said he caressed several girls without their permission.

Tremaine Marshall, 23, was arrested on a fourth-degree sexual assault charge and two burglary charges, University Police Spokesman Paul Dillon said. Despite the recent string of Peeping Tom incidents and reports of a “city cuddler” targeting houses off the campus, Dillon said yesterday’s crime was unrelated and he did not know where this suspect was from.

He did not think he was a student, he added.

Dillon said police responded to a call from Worcester Hall at about 4:30 p.m. yesterday and found Marshall on the second floor, where several girls interviewed said they encountered the man and felt uncomfortable.

Marshall told police a company dropped him off there to sell magazines.

According to Dillon’s account, a female student sitting in her room heard a man from behind ask her to buy magazines. She said she did not want any, and he then asked her about a tattoo on her shoulder blade. He began to caress her back, then he asked if she had a boyfriend or needed help with her laundry. The suspect then asked the girl for a hug and grabbed her and pulled her toward him.

Dillon added that the suspect then went to another room and asked a girl if she wanted any magazines. She said she had no money. Police arrested the man shortly after, she said.

Many students at Worcester Hall called the man “creepy.” Students said he wore a white dress shirt and a tie and asked some residents to vote for him. The students said he asked others if they had debit cards.

Kristina Quiroz, a freshman who lives on the second floor, said the suspect approached her yesterday afternoon in her dorm room. According to her account, the suspect asked her to vote for him, then offered a handshake. He did not let go of her hand, and he then entered the room and shut the door behind him.

Quiroz said the suspect asked her, “You got a man?” She said yes and that he was coming to her room soon. The suspect asked her where her boyfriend lived and if she was sure her boyfriend was actually coming soon.

Meagan Nesky, a sophomore who lives on the second floor of the building, said she was walking toward the bathroom when the man approached her and tried to hug her. She said the suspect asked Nesky if she would vote for him for class president.

Nesky, who said she works in the records department of the University Police, told the suspect where she works, but said the fact she works with police did not seem to phase him.

Nesky added, “I knew he wasn’t completely sober, so I knew to stay away from him.”

The suspect did not just talk to females who lived in Worcester Hall, though. Shomik Datta, a freshman who lives on the first floor, said the man came by his room as well. Datta said the suspect asked him for a debit card, then asked if he would vote for him. Datta added the suspect asked his next-door neighbor if he had any ecstasy.

Court case records show Marshall has no previous charges of any kind on his record.

Worcester Hall does not have a front desk. The Resident Director of the building could not be reached for comment.

Dillon praised the victim who had her back caressed for quickly reporting the incident to police. Because of her speedy reaction, Dillon said, police were able to quickly make an arrest on the scene.

“They did a good job of calling 911 immediately. We were able to make a quick arrest,” Dillon said. “Kudos to the victim for calling us quickly.”

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