Police have arrested a registered sex offender who is suspected in the theft of women’s underwear at the University of Colorado and a groping in Broomfield.

Nicholas Joseph Lorenzo, 33, has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a child on a warrant from Broomfield police and 18 counts of second-degree burglary, three counts of first-degree trespassing, four counts of theft under $50 and invasion of privacy on a warrant out of CU police, according to court records.

CU police said Lorenzo was arrested by Denver police at Denver International Airport after flying back to Colorado on Monday and was transferred to Boulder County Jail on Wednesday.

Lorenzo is being held on $30,000 bond on the CU charges and $10,000 on the Broomfield charges.

“I am extremely proud of our investigators and the Broomfield and Denver police departments for how they collaborated to make an arrest in this case,” CU police Chief Doreen Jokerst said in a statement. “This arrest was made after many weeks of hard work and with a collaborative mindset among many agencies. The CU Boulder campus and our community are safer because of their diligence. Our students need to feel safe on campus, and we will continue to work tirelessly toward that goal.”

According to police, Lorenzo broke into CU’s Aden, Brackett, Cockerell and Crosman residence hall laundry rooms in October and stole women’s underwear.

According to an affidavit, Lorenzo also entered some female students’ rooms while they were sleeping and also videotaped one woman while she was showering.

Then, on Nov. 23, police said Lorenzo inappropriately touched a 10-year-old girl while she was shopping at the Broomfield’s FlatIron Crossing Mall, unnecessarily brushing up against her and grabbing her rear.

According to the affidavit, police received several anonymous tips identifying Lorenzo after his picture popped up in news coverage, including one from someone who was in a probation program with Lorenzo.

Lorenzo was previously arrested in 2010 for masturbating while working behind a Safeway meat counter in Louisville. He pleaded guilty to indecent exposure and was sentenced to probation and community service.

As a result, Lorenzo is a registered sex offender in Boulder.

Evidence recovered at Lorenzo’s home leads police to believe there could be additional victims of underwear theft. If you believe you may have been a victim of a similar crime, contact your local law enforcement agency or CU police at 303-492-6666.

According to the affidavit, Lorenzo also might have trespassed into some Boulder homes and also followed and videotaped young girls in a Boulder store. Boulder police spokeswoman Shannon Aulabaugh said investigators will review the case to see if Lorenzo may be a suspect in any of the department’s open cases and see if additional charges are warranted.

Mitchell Byars: 303-473-1329, byarsm@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/mitchellbyars