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Suspected Red-Speedo Stalker Arrested After Allegedly Prowling Ohio Sorority Houses
Steven Franzreb allegedly hung out on a sorority house's porch in a speedo in one incident, fondling himself and using social media on his phone.
Two sorority house mothers and some social media sleuthing helped cops track down an alleged stalker who had been traipsing around Ohio residences wearing only a red Speedo — or nothing at all.
Steven Franzreb, 43, wasn't enrolled at Kent State University or pulling a fraternity prank when he was allegedly captured twice on doorbell cameras lurking around the off-campus sorority homes in the middle of the night, police confirmed to Oxygen.com.
Authorities brought Franzreb into custody on Oct. 11, and booked him on menacing by stalking charges, a felony, they announced on Facebook. If found guilty, the maximum sentence could be 18 months in jail.
The first visit Franzreb paid was allegedly showing up to the Alpha Phi sorority house at 1:45 a.m. on Aug. 22 — completely nude.
“A house mom reviewed the camera footage the next morning,” Kent Police Department Capt. Nicholas Shearer said. “He was walking around and peeked into some of the windows ... He was actually nude.”
The man allegedly kept a mobile phone held up to his face almost the entire time, Shearer said, citing the doorbell camera footage that police reviewed afterward.
Franzreb then allegedly returned around the same time on Sept. 23.
Then, he allegedly took his stunt to the Delta Gamma sorority house, police said. A request for help identifying the man in the red underwear was posted online a week later.
This time, the man was caught on the doorbell camera, clad in a red speedo. Scrawled in black marker on his chest were the words, “Laugh at me,” “Pervert,” and “LOL” with arrows pointing to down to his groin.
The second incident lasts for about 10 minutes, and features the man accused of being Franzreb again peering through the windows, fondling himself, and using some kind of social media platform.
“It seems like he’s on a video chat on his phone,” Shearer said.
At one point Franzreb allegedly decides to take a load off.
“He’s sitting on a chair on the porch, and then he leaves,” Shearer said.
Soon after, the Delta Gamma house mother reviewed the disturbing video footage and quickly dialed authorities, he added.
Franzreb then allegedly became more brazen; he circulated a message via Instagram to some numerous Delta Gamma members, according to Shearer.
Franzreb’s social media activity ultimately led authorities to his Royalton, Ohio, home, some two hours south of the university campus.
“The social media aspect of it allowed us to track him down,” Shearer said. “That’s something we’re grateful to have.”
Kent Police officers and U.S. Marshals together took Franzreb into custody at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday inside of a swanky restaurant, D’Agnese’s, where the man works, police confirmed.
Franzreb is seen pictured in a mugshot sporting a black shirt and a dark Star Wars-themed necktie with the phrase in green letters: “May the force be with you.”
Police did not find the suspect to be cooperative, however.
“He would not talk to us,” Shearer said. “It’s one of those things for us that we still have a lot of questions.”
In a statement, Kent State University paid tribute to the police efforts and noted that Franzreb's arrest should set many students at ease.
"As our students return to campus from fall break, we hope this will give them peace of mind," it reads.
Franzreb has had a brush with the law before.
Last year, he pleaded no contest to public indecency and was sentenced to five days in jail and nearly $600 in fines, The Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Franzreb remains held in the Portage County Detention Center. He's set to be arraigned on Tuesday.
