UH Student Groped Twice Near Student Center South, Suspect Charged

A University of Houston sophomore says a stranger groped her twice as she walked to her car after finishing her shift at Student Center South on Monday afternoon, and campus police arrested a suspect within minutes. The student told officers the man reached for her chest as she passed him, then grabbed her again moments later as she and her co-workers headed to the parking lot.

The student said she first noticed the man sitting on a couch in a hallway before the encounter escalated, according to ABC13 Houston. She believed he was on a phone call and grew concerned when he appeared to be talking to himself. As she walked past him, he spoke to her, though she could not understand what he said, and then reached toward her chest; she moved away, and his hand struck her shoulder instead, per the outlet's report.

Minutes later, as she and her co-workers were walking to her car, the same man allegedly grabbed her chest again. Her co-workers alerted nearby campus police officers, who took the suspect into custody, the student told the station. University of Houston Police identified the man as 25-year-old Marcus Love and said he was arrested and charged with indecent assault.

How Texas Law Treats the Charge

Indecent assault is a relatively new tool in Texas law. Before September 2019, unwanted sexual touching that fell short of penetration was typically charged only as assault by contact, a fine-only Class C misdemeanor carrying no jail time, according to Andrew Deegan Attorney at Law. State lawmakers passed Senate Bill 194 to close that gap, creating the standalone Class A misdemeanor offense under Texas Penal Code Section 22.012, which now carries penalties of up to a year in county jail and fines as high as $4,000, per Varghese Summersett.

Court documents referred to Love as homeless, ABC13 reported. He also has three prior 2026 convictions for theft of property valued under $2,500, according to the same account. Under Texas Penal Code Section 31.03, repeat theft convictions of any grade can eventually enhance future low-dollar theft charges to a state jail felony, regardless of the amount stolen, per the Law Office of David D. White.

UH Police also issued Love a criminal trespass warning barring him from lawfully returning to campus property. Returning after such a warning is itself a prosecutable offense — a Class B misdemeanor under Texas Penal Code Section 30.05 punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine, according to Varghese Summersett. As with any arrest, the charge against Love reflects an allegation, not a determination of guilt.

A Public Campus Balances Access and Safety

Student Center South, where the student worked, is one of UH's busiest hubs, housing dining options, the campus store, credit union services and administrative offices. Because UH is a public, state-supported institution, the campus remains open to the broader community, a structural reality the university itself has acknowledged creates an ongoing challenge for balancing access with student safety.

The university said in a statement that it does not tolerate individuals who violate the law and is committed to the safety and security of its students, faculty and staff. UH said it continually evaluates and adjusts its security measures, including physical infrastructure, technology and active officer patrols.

Those adjustments have included tangible investments. UH opened a new police substation inside the Welcome Center building this past January to boost visible officer presence and improve response times, and the university expedited a $21 million campus lighting and security project expanding video surveillance and monitoring across main campus grounds, according to the Houston Chronicle. UH Police also operate a 24/7 security escort service that lets students, faculty and staff request an officer to walk them anywhere on campus, day or night.

Victim Advocacy Services Recently Moved

The encounter took place in the same building where UH restructured victim advocacy services less than a year ago. In December, the university closed the Women and Gender Resource Center inside Student Center South and shifted sexual assault support and victim advocacy services to the Dean of Students office in the same building, as Hoodline previously reported. The space UH repurposed was reoriented toward parent and family engagement.

UH's federal reporting obligations also loom in the background. Under the Jeanne Clery Act, colleges receiving federal funding must publish an Annual Security Report by October 1 detailing three years of campus crime statistics, including fondling and sexual assault offenses, and must maintain a public 60-day crime log alongside timely warnings for ongoing threats, per the Clery Center.

The student told ABC13 she still believes campus security is generally good, and said she reported the incident to her co-workers immediately after it happened. She said Love appeared well-groomed and did not immediately stand out as someone who did not belong on campus, and urged fellow students and staff to report suspicious behavior when they see it rather than waiting.