New details arise in Lohman case

Three days after graduate student Michael Lohman was barred from campus for at least 60 cases of alleged harassment of Asian women, details are emerging about his alleged actions and personal history. A new victim has come forward and police say Lohman is being held in a "facility," but not jail.

Lohman, a student in the applied and computational mathematics program, cut and took locks of hair from about nine Asian female University students without their knowledge or consent and poured his own bodily fluids — semen and urine — into the drinks of Asian female students more than 50 times, according to police reports.

Lohman, 28, confessed to the acts under interrogation by police, University communications director Lauren Robinson-Brown '85 said Tuesday. But Lohman's attorney, Kevin Main, said Thursday he was unsure whether that was the case.

"At this point in time, it's really too early for me to be commenting at any kind of length. I haven't seen any reports," Main said. "I have not met with him personally yet. I've met with his parents."

Borough police said Wednesday that one woman had come forward since Tuesday, claiming her hair had been cut while she was riding a University shuttle bus.

"It was the same thing," Lt. Dennis McManimon, the Borough police's spokesman, said Thursday, comparing the latest report with the original hair-snipping incident. The alleged victim, identified only as a 31-year-old Asian woman, said the incident occurred on March 28.

Lohman was arrested on March 30. "I think it became pretty apparent early on that once they had him in custody, that he probably needed help more than he needed to be placed in a lockup facility," McManimon said.

Even if Lohman is in a mental health facility, McManimon said, it would not preclude further charges from being pressed against him. "As we go along there'll be more charges. He'll be charged with those offenses," he said.

Timeline of events

On Sunday, Oct. 20, 2002, an Asian female graduate student was eating her meal in the Graduate College dining room when she was approached by another student. He told her a man had "opened a capsule," according to a Department of Public Safety (DPS) report, and poured the contents of it into her glass of milk.

The woman called Public Safety and was taken to the University Medical Center at Princeton for a medical evaluation. "The victim apparently suffered no effects from drinking the milk," according to the DPS report.

The Oct. 20 incident in the Graduate College dining hall was the first of several reported to Public Safety during a three-year period. Each time, the description of the man who was pouring substances into Asian women's drinks became more detailed.

At the next incident, on April 29, 2003, he was described as male and likely a graduate student. On May 18, 2004, he was described as "a white male, early twenties, 5'9", approx. 160 lbs., light stubble of beard, hair possibly dark blonde."

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McManimon said Thursday that the description does "not really" accurately match Lohman.

The woman in the April 29 incident was alerted by a worker in the Graduate College dining hall. She poured out her milk and got a fresh glass.

On May 18, a visitor to the University alerted a woman in the Fine Hall library that a man had poured something into her soda, according to a DPS report. She went to University Health Services and no problems were found.

The first reported hair-snipping took place on March 11. "She described the person as a white male, 5'8" to 5'9" tall, twenties, wearing a ski cap and a back pack," according to a DPS report. "Upon entering her apartment, she checked the back of her head in a mirror and discovered that 2" to 3" of her hair had been cut off." Borough police learned Wednesday of a second similar incident, which reportedly occurred on March 28.

On March 30, the day Lohman was arrested, an unmarked police cruiser appeared outside the apartment where Lohman lived with his wife, according to a witness who asked not to be named. Lohman emerged from the car, handcuffed, and went inside his home with police. An hour to an hour-and-a-half later, the group emerged. "They had their trunk open," the witness said, indicating that the police were taking evidence with them.

Police have found several women's panties, mittens and vials containing an unknown liquid presumed to be urine in Lohman's apartment, McManimon said. The panties and mittens were reportedly stolen — possibly from the Butler complex's laundry, which is located across the street from the apartment.

News of Lohman's arrest quickly spread through the Butler apartments, where many graduate students live with their spouses and children. But while some of those interviewed recognized Lohman's face, few remembered interacting with him.

"We think of this place as really safe," said Anatol Gobjila, a graduate student in the Wilson School and neighbor of Lohman's. "When someone hears something like this, you wonder maybe it's not so safe . . . I'm not saying the guy did anything, but it's spooky."

Avid bridge player

Lohman's parents did not reply to a request for comment and his sister Caitlin described the situation as a "personal, private matter," referring reporters to Lohman's attorney.

Jay Korobow, who has played bridge with Lohman since his college days at Louisiana State University (LSU), described him positively. Lohman was "very sociable, very charming, very bright" and the alleged acts he committed were "not in his character," Korobow said. "I'm totally surprised, totally in shock."

Lohman and Korobow, who first met at a bridge competition, played online at gaming Web sites and traveled to national championships together. Lohman was "very talented," Korobow said.

On Tuesday, a mathematics professors at LSU, Lohman's alma mater, described him as an extremely talented mathematician. Professor James Oxley said that though his interaction with Lohman was confined to the classroom, he "had no reason to believe anything other than he was a normal student, except very gifted mathematically."