Students Reported Missing Cash (But Mostly Missing Sleep) – The LSU Serial Snuggler Was After Something Stranger Than Burglary

In September 2003, college students at Louisiana State University were the victims of one of the strangest crime waves in Baton Rouge history. The 24-year-old former LSU student Steve Danos had a habit of sneaking into people’s apartments late at night, usually through unlocked doors and windows. What he did once inside was far more unusual than burglary, and far more disturbing. According to the victims, he would quietly stand in their bedrooms and watch them sleep, or sidle up to their beds and slide in next to them. On one occasion, he put his arms around a woman’s waist as if he already knew her. He would explain his behavior when he was finally discovered, stating “I’m Steve, I’m sorry. I got lost. I’m going now.” He would then walk out of the apartment and leave.

The incidents were not isolated. On the morning of September 21, for example, Danos is believed to have entered at least eight apartments within a period of three hours in University House and University Commons, two adjacent student apartment complexes within walking distance of LSU. In several cases, the victims described him as oddly matter-of-fact, or even polite, though his intrusions were terrifying. In one case, he massaged a victim’s back before leaving. Some of the victims thought he had taken a few dollars from open wallets, a small item from an unlocked drawer, or a visible candy bar, but burglary did not appear to be his primary motivation.

Danos was not unknown to police. In March, he had been arrested after sneaking into the apartment of another woman and silently standing over her bed. When she awoke and demanded to know what he was doing in her apartment, he told her he was looking for someone named Amanda. Danos eventually pleaded guilty to unlawful entry and received probation. The case was still open when the September intrusions began.

Law enforcement officials issued warrants for Danos’ arrest on various charges, including burglary, unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, and other crimes. A private security guard detained Danos outside an apartment complex after catching him looking through a window, but Danos was able to elude capture. A few days later, however, he turned himself in to the police and was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Danos was eventually charged with seven counts of burglary of an inhabited dwelling, four counts of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, and one count of battery. He was released on a $20,000 bond, but he was re-arrested when he tested positive for marijuana use. Prosecutors also requested the immediate revocation of his probation on the earlier case, a move that could land him in jail for six months before he ever sees trial on the new charges.

No one was seriously injured in the “Serial Snuggler” cases, but there was no denying that the victims were violated. For weeks afterward, students lived in fear of someone climbing into their beds in the middle of the night. The charges against Danos were for burglary, but his behavior seemed to indicate something more personal, and honestly more inexplicable?