URI

A Phone Over the Shower Stall: Two Dorm Voyeurism Reports at URI

Friday, March 6, 2026RIsexual offensetimely warningmedium confidence

Confirmed Threat

URI Police issued a Clery safety alert after two video-voyeurism incidents in residence-hall shower areas. The first was reported about 9:15 p.m. on March 6, 2026 in the all-gender bathroom shower area at Browning Hall; the second occurred about 11:38 p.m. on Monday, March 9 in the men's bathroom shower area at Butterfield Hall. Both involved a male suspect who entered shower areas and allegedly tried to record male occupants; officers responded but the suspect fled before police arrived.

Alerts: 1
Response: —
Killed: —
Injured: —

Institution

University of Rhode Island

Public R1 · RI

~17,000 studentsURI 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 ALERTEmailMar 10, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT

Approximate reconstruction467 chars

URI SAFETY ALERT: URI Police are investigating two reports of video voyeurism in residence hall shower areas. On March 6 at approximately 9:15 p.m. a male entered the all-gender bathroom shower area in Browning Hall, and on March 9 at approximately 11:38 p.m. a male entered the men's bathroom shower area in Butterfield Hall, attempting to record occupants. The suspect fled before officers arrived. Anyone with information should contact URI Police at 401-874-4910.

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

The warning groups two incidents three days apart at different residence halls (Browning and Butterfield), establishing the 'continuing threat' rationale for the timely warning.

Browning Hall and Butterfield Hall are real URI residence halls; the all-gender vs. men's bathroom distinction is preserved from the reporting.

Exact alert wording was not published by an official archive; this reconstruction draws on multiple local-media summaries and is marked unconfirmed.

Context

Background

URI Police warned the community after two suspected voyeurism incidents in residence-hall shower facilities in March 2026. The first, around 9:15 p.m. on March 6, was in the all-gender bathroom shower area at Browning Hall; the second, around 11:38 p.m. on March 9, was in the men's bathroom shower area at Butterfield Hall. Newport Buzz reported that both involved a male suspect who entered the shower areas and allegedly attempted to record male occupants while they showered. A URI spokesperson later identified the suspect as 18-year-old Evan Alexander Bouphavong of Woonsocket, who was not a student; he was arrested March 17, 2026 and charged with two counts of video voyeurism. URI has a documented history of dorm video-voyeurism concerns that has prompted litigation.

Analysis

Key Findings

Two shower-area voyeurism reports three days apart at different residence halls triggered a single Clery safety alert

The suspect was identified as a non-student, underscoring that dorm-privacy threats are not always internal

An arrest followed within roughly a week of the alert on two counts of video voyeurism

Outcome

Police identified the suspect as 18-year-old Evan Alexander Bouphavong of Woonsocket, who was not a URI student. He was arrested March 17, 2026 and charged with two counts of video voyeurism, with bond set at $3,000.

Provenance

Sources

News
URI Police Warn of Video Voyeurism Incidents in Dorm Shower Areas - Newport Buzz
thenewportbuzz.com
News
Police investigating 2 voyeurism incidents at URI - WPRI
wpri.com
News
Woonsocket man accused of voyeurism after alleged URI incidents - The Boston Globe
bostonglobe.com
Student Paper
URI Police investigate two video voyeurism cases in dorm halls - The Good 5¢ Cigar
rhodycigar.com

Alert Sequence

Background

Key Findings

Sources

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