Students disturbed by man in library

A man was arrested for trespassing in the UA Main Library on Sunday night after several complaints were made by women who felt uncomfortable because he was drawing pictures of nude women, according to police reports.

Craig Gripentrog, 30, was asked to leave the library after police received complaints from a student that he was drawing pictures of nude women and staring at women who were passing by him, the report states.

"He was leaning over and staring at girls who were walking by," said Shauna Sobel, a journalism senior who was at the library at the same time as Gripentrog.

Sobel, who knows of Gripentrog because of previous encounters with him, said she could only see a small part of what he was drawing.

"I didn't see what he was drawing but definitely saw breasts," Sobel said.

Library employees wanted Gripentrog removed from the library, reports stated.

When Gripentrog was found with the nude drawings on the third floor of the library, officers asked if he was a UA student, the report said. Gripentrog said he was not a student, but he had a right to be there because the library is a public place, the report stated.

Officers told Gripentrog his actions were making others uncomfortable and the library staff wanted him to leave. Gripentrog said he had permission from the dean of students, but could not provide any proof, according to the report.

Gripentrog refused to leave the library, and police arrested him on charges of criminal trespassing, reports stated.

Two library employees, Sandy Bose and John Miller-Wells, documented a similar incident on Friday in which Gripentrog had made women uncomfortable. Police were not called during that incident, said Bose, a nighttime supervisor at the library.

Bose and Miller-Wells told officers they wanted Gripentrog banned from the library and wanted to press charges of trespassing.

Employees don't call police, leaving it up to library users to call if they feel uncomfortable, Bose said.

"I'm glad he won't be coming back," Bose said.

Sobel, who also works at Starbucks Coffee, 802 E. University Blvd., said she knows of Gripentrog because he used to come into the coffee shop and spend entire days there drawing pictures of nude women and "harassing" female customers.

Jasmine Parker, a Starbucks employee, described Gripentrog as "creepy," and said before he was banned from Starbucks, he would draw pictures of women and start unwanted conversations with women and employees in the coffee shop.

"He's just weird," said Parker, a political science freshman. "He just lurks around and tries to start conversations with everyone."

Gripentrog has been asked not to return to Starbucks, but Parker and Sobel said they have seen him hanging out on East University Boulevard and other locations on campus.