University of Rhode Island police are investigating two video voyeurism incidents that took place in Browning and Butterfield Halls on March 6 and 9, less than a year after a similar incident in Adams Hall.
A male suspect entered the shower areas of the residence halls and attempted to observe, photograph or video male occupants with a cell phone, according to an email sent to the URI community on Tuesday.
The first incident took place in the Browning Hall all-gender bathroom at approximately 9:15 p.m. on March 6, according to the email. The second took place in the Butterfield Hall men’s bathroom on Monday at approximately 11:38 p.m.
In both cases, the suspect fled the scene before authorities arrived, according to the email. The case is under investigation.
URI police ask that anyone with information regarding the incidents to contact them at 401-874-4910 or submit an anonymous tip at 401-874-TIPS (8477).
Students are encouraged to report suspicious persons or devices in bathroom areas, according to the email. Police advise students not to tamper with devices, but to report them to campus police.
The email was sent as a part of the Clery Act, which requires universities to give “timely warnings” to the campus community “if there is a serious or ongoing threat to the campus community,” according to The Clery Center. Video voyeurism is not among the list of offenses required to be reported.
These incidents come less than a year after another video voyeurism incident at URI on April 29, 2025, that resulted in the arrest of James Paquette, a 30-year-old Providence resident, according to WPRI.
The case remains open and has not yet gone to trial, according to court records.
URI was sued by the victim for negligence and defamation, under the alias of Jane Doe, according to court records obtained by WPRI. Doe, a first-year student living in Adams Hall, was photographed showering in the fourth-floor bathroom by a man she identified in a line-up as Paquette.
Doe left Adams Hall after the incident and had not returned at the time of filing, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit moved from state to federal court on August 28, 2025, and remains ongoing, according to court documents.
