Columbia police arrest suspected prowler; man accused of breaking into women’s apartments in 2022 charged with burglary

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused of breaking into several women's apartments in southern Columbia in 2022 has been arrested and charged.

Guillermo Vasquez Hernandez, 33, of Columbia, is charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and two counts of forgery after he is accused of targeting women as far back as 2020. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been set.

According to a probable cause statement, Hernandez's fingerprints have been connected to at least three cases of a man violating the privacy of multiple women.

The first incident happened on Nov. 4, 2020, at around 11 p.m., court documents say. Columbia police responded to a burglary call in a redacted area of Columbia. The resident allegedly told police they were sleeping in the bedroom, heard the blinds of her window fall off. Court documents say the victim woke up, and saw a man entering the bedroom through the window.

The victim started screaming and the man ran away, court documents say. Officers found fingerprints on the outside of bedroom window and sent them to the lab for investigation, according to the problem cause statement.

The next reported incident occurred at 10 p.m. Aug. 9, 2022, court documents say. Officers responded to a burglary in a redacted area of Columbia. The resident allegedly officers they were in the bathtub with the bathroom door open when she looked into the mirror and saw a man looking into the bathroom from the hallway.

The victim immediately got out of the bathtub and the suspect ran away from the apartment, leaving through the window, according to the statement. Officers reported the first-floor bedroom window blinds were damaged and the screen was missing.

The next day, officers went back to the apartment to look for evidence and found sweat marks from the suspect's left ear and part of his face printed on the glass patio doors, the statement says. Officers saw another apartment in the same complex with earmarks on the outside of the patio doors, the statement says. The resident of the apartment was also a woman. Several fingerprints were lifted and sent to the lab for analysis, court documents say.

On Nov. 3, 2022, at around 5:40 p.m. Columbia police responded to another reported burglary, court documents say. The resident allegedly found the downstairs basement window open and the window blinds removed, the statement says. The victim searched her room and noticed an item was stolen from the drawer of her nightstand by her bed, the statement says.

The probable cause statement says the victim told investigators that while she was upstairs the night before, Nov. 2, when she heard tapping on the downstairs bedroom window and heard a loud "thud." Officers lifted several fingerprints from the downstairs bedroom window and also an ear print on the outside of the window as well.

Columbia police released the first statement asking for the community's help in identifying a suspected prowler on Nov. 8, 2022. The victim's ages ranged from 20-30 years old and were both working professionals and students. Many of the incidents happened in south Columbia, with the most happening on South Old 63.

At 9:10 p.m. Sept. 26, 2023, officers responded to a disturbance in a redacted area of Columbia, according to court documents. A resident said he saw a man looking into his daughter's bedroom window, the statement says. The resident kept Hernandez there until police arrived, according to the statement. Hernandez allegedly identified himself to police. Hernandez was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, the statement say.

Columbia police responded to another attempted burglary on Jan. 3, 2024, the statement says. Residents claimed a man was climbing up their second-story balcony, the statement says. Residents went outside and chased the man into a dark blue Chevrolet Malibu.

The statement says on Oct. 16 the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime lab called investigators letting them know prints from three different cases -- one from 2020 and two from 2022 -- matched one person.

"The Columbia Police Department conducted a traffic stop on June 22, resulting in the issuance of a summons to Hernandez-Vasquez. Due to the nature of the summons, the court ordered him to provide fingerprints," a Monday afternoon press release from the Columbia Police Department says.

Court information shows that an order for fingerprinting was ordered Aug. 29, 2024 after Hernandez was accused of a Columbia traffic violation. He was ordered to pay a fine on Oct. 15 and the order for fingerprinting was completed the same day.

Police said in court documents that on Oct. 18 the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab gave their report to investigators, which showed Hernandez's right handprint was a match with the handprint that was found on a back porch railing of one of the homes.

Following the notification from the crime lab, about the matching fingerprints of Hernandez, a search warrant was obtained, according to court documents. During the search, officers found a forged Social Security card and a fake Green Card, the statement says. The fake Green Card allegedly had a photo of Hernandez, but a different name matching the one on the fake Social Security card. Detectives were unable to find any proof of US citizenship, the statement says.

Court documents alleged Hernandez admitted to police about the incident on Aug. 9, 2022. He also allegedly admitted to coming to the U.S. from La Trinitaria, Chiapas, Mexico.

"Incidents such as these are very concerning to both police and the public. I am thankful for the hard work and diligence of our staff in bringing this case to a resolution. This case is an outstanding example of what thorough, detail-oriented policing can accomplish through the perseverance and dedication of our officers," Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude said in a Monday afternoon press release. 

According to previous reporting, CPD said in a 2022 press release that it believed several incidents were related:

• Aug. 9, 2022: Burglary report at the 4300 block of Kentsfield Lane. The suspect entered an apartment of a woman while she was home. The man became frightened and left, according to CPD. The man allegedly tried to enter several apartments at that same complex of women who lived alone.
• Sept. 15: A similar report as made at an apartment complex at the 3300 block of Old Highway 63 South. All residents of that apartment were women.
• Nov. 2: A burglary was reported at the 3200 block of Old Highway 63 South, the same apartment complex as the Sept. 15 incident. All of the residents were women.
• Nov. 6: A woman called 911 after she claimed a man chased her to her door in the 3900 block of Buttonwood Drive.
• Nov. 6: Someone attempted to break into an apartment at the 2200 block of Old Highway 63 South where, again, everyone inside were women.