Campus Alert Archive
Augustana

A Man Stood in a Student's Bedroom at 2 AM and Escaped Through a Cut Window Screen Two Blocks From Augustana's Campus

SDtrespasstimely warningmedium confidence

In the early hours of April 14, 2023, an unknown male intruder broke into an off-campus house occupied by four female Augustana University students in the campus neighborhood of Sioux Falls, cutting a window screen to gain entry; a student woke to find the man standing in her bedroom and he fled. Augustana issued a campus safety alert that morning and the Sioux Falls Police Department launched an investigation, though no arrest was made immediately.

Alerts
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Response
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Institution
Augustana University
Private Liberal Arts · SD
Viking Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction405 chars
Viking Alert: Augustana Campus Safety is alerting our campus community to a break-in that occurred at an off-campus house in our campus neighborhood early this morning. An unknown male entered a student residence and fled when discovered by a student. Sioux Falls Police are investigating. Please secure all windows and doors at your residence. Report any suspicious activity immediately to Campus Safety.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: Dakota News Now and KELOLAND both reported that Augustana University officials issued a campus safety alert on April 14, 2023 notifying the campus community of an intruder in an off-campus house at 31st and Duluth occupied by four female students.
The intruder cut a window screen to gain entry at approximately 2:00 AM CDT on April 14, 2023; the student who woke to find him in her bedroom was not physically harmed.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota is in the Central Time zone (CDT, UTC-5 during spring).
Context

Background

In the early hours of April 14, 2023, a male intruder broke into an off-campus house at the corner of 31st and Duluth, two blocks from Augustana University's Sioux Falls campus, that was shared by four female students. According to KELOLAND, the intruder cut a window screen to gain entry around 2:00 AM; when a student woke to find the man standing in her bedroom, he fled without making physical contact. Dakota News Now reported that Augustana issued a campus safety alert that morning and Sioux Falls Police opened an investigation. The alert came against a backdrop of heightened concern: the week before, a campus safety officer had spotted a suspicious person on Summit Avenue who fled in a vehicle, and police later determined that vehicle was connected to a registered sex offender. A follow-up report by Dakota News Now noted university officials urged students to secure windows and doors and avoid poorly lit areas, while the Augustana Mirror documented a broader spring 2023 uptick in crime in the campus neighborhood. Augustana is a private Lutheran liberal arts institution of approximately 1,900 students founded in 1860.
Outcome
The intruder fled before police arrived. Sioux Falls Police investigated both this break-in and a related suspicious-vehicle incident from the prior week involving a registered sex offender. No immediate arrest was reported. Augustana reminded students of basic safety precautions and increased campus security presence in the neighborhood.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Augustana issues campus safety alert - Dakota News Now
    dakotanewsnow.com
  2. News
    Suspect at large in Augustana student home break-in - KELOLAND
    keloland.com
  3. News
    Augustana University addresses suspicious activity near campus - Dakota News Now
    dakotanewsnow.com
  4. Student Paper
    Campus area sees increase in crime this spring - Augustana Mirror
    augiemirror.news
Tags
trespassoff-campusintrudertimely-warningsouth-dakotaprivate-liberal-artsresidential-safety2023
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion