2 attacks added to crime spree

A Schofield Barracks soldier in custody for a Nov. 25 burglary at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has been charged in two other dormitory room invasions.

Army Spc. Mark Heath, 20, appeared in Honolulu District Court yesterday on a charge of third-degree sexual assault for allegedly touching a female student in the groin while she slept in the Hale Mokihana dorm on Aug. 19.

He told police he intended to cut off her panties in the late-night raid, according to court documents. He was also charged with attempted second-degree theft.

An additional first-degree burglary charge was levied against Heath for a Nov. 24 break-in at Hale Aloha Ilima dorm, the day before he was stopped inside Hale Aloha Lokelani dorm on Dole Street.

Heath will appear for a preliminary hearing tomorrow. He was held at Oahu Community Correctional Center on a total of $150,000 bail.

The incidents involved entry into rooms with unlocked doors at three different dormitories.

On Aug. 19 a female resident of Hale Mokihana dorm told police she awoke to find an unknown man holding scissors near her face. She was cut on the lips while she struggled. She said he put a hand on her genitals over her clothing. Her screams led the assailant to flee, and he dropped the scissors at the scene, according to court documents.

In the Nov. 24 burglary, two women reported their handbags were taken from their room while they slept. The bags, minus about $400, were found in a stairwell. Heath had a preliminary hearing Thursday on charges of first-degree burglary and unauthorized entry Nov. 25. An iPod and women's lingerie were taken from two women's rooms that night.

Heath was stopped in a dorm room by a male student who escorted him to the front desk where he was held until police arrived.

Police said he told detectives it was his third incursion into a UH dorm, according to court documents.

Heath belongs to the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, which is preparing to deploy to Iraq later this month.