Minn. student accused of burglary, assault in woman's dorm

MINNEAPOLIS - A 20-year-old male college student is charged with burglary, assault and stalking after allegedly breaking into a female student's dorm roomin the middle of the night and pepper-spraying her, reports CBS Minnesota.

Alexander Nuehring, of Mankato, faces multiple charge in connection with the incident, which authorities say happened early Saturday morning in a dormitory on the Minnesota State University-Mankato campus. Nuehring is a student and a community adviser at the school.

According to a complaint, Mankato Police were called to the dorm at about 5:18 a.m. Saturday on a report of an assault. When officers arrived, a woman appeared emotionally distressed with her eyes red and swollen, telling police she been had attacked by a man with pepper spray. The suspect, later identified as Nuehring, fled down a flight of stairs after leaving her room, reports the station.

The woman told police she woke up to find a man in her room, standing about five feet away from her bed, and that he had a white mask over his face and the victim jumped out of her bed and screamed. The complaint says as the man approached the woman, he sprayed something in her face. She told police she was confused at first, but then panicked and ran around the man towards the hallway.

The woman reportedly said she was grabbed from behind and a hand was placed over her mouth. According to the complaint, the woman made it out into the hallway but was then shoved from behind and had her head pushed into a wall. She then started yelling for help and went down the hall banging on doors, and as she ran, the suspect fled the scene.

The victim told police the suspect was wearing mostly black clothing, gloves, and that the mask was similar to the one in the movie "Scream," reports the station.

According to the station, when first questioned by authorities, Nuehring denied any involvement in the incident, but after authorities obtained a search warrant for his room, he allegedly admitted to entering the woman's room-- although he said he just intended to steal something.

He reportedly told police he had no intention of sexually assaulting the woman but said if he went into her room and found money, it would be "awesome." He said he did not know why he did it, other than the allure of getting away with it and said he had never done anything like that before, the complaint states.

In a search of his room, officers discovered $138 in his desk as well as a bottle of pepper spray, scissors, duct tape, a left-hand skeleton glove and the hooded sweatshirt he was wearing at the time of the incident, reports CBS Minnesota.

If convicted on all charges, Nuehring reportedly faces up to 65 years in prison and up to $115,000 in fines.