Man admits to break-ins, underwear theft

An Edmonton man with a history of breaking into homes and committing sex crimes, and an apparent interest in young girls and panties, has admitted reoffending.

Gordon William Adams, 34, pleaded guilty Friday to breaking and entering with intent to commit an indictable offence, breaking and entering and committing theft, and possession of marijuana.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Adams broke into a home in southwest Edmonton about 3 a.m. on Sept. 3, 2014, by removing the kitchen window screen and climbing inside.

Crown prosecutor Anders Quist told court that a woman in the home was awakened by her two small dogs barking incessantly and saw Adams’ shadow moving in the hallway. Adams fled.

Court heard the woman’s 14-year-old daughter was awakened as well. The pair went back to bed after seeing nothing noteworthy.

However, they called police in the morning after finding the kitchen window halfway open and the damaged screen in the parking lot.

According to the agreed statement of facts, on Sept. 12, 2014, Adams crawled inside a south-side home after prying open a basement window.

A dog barked, waking up a woman sleeping upstairs.

She went back to sleep after thinking the sound she heard of a door opening and closing was her 15-year-old daughter in her basement bedroom.

Court heard Adams went into the teen’s bedroom and was crouching by her bed when she awoke.

The teen thought it was her father and asked him what he was do- ing and a surprised Adams stood up and said “Sorry” before heading for the door.

As the teen called her father on her cellphone, Adams said something ending with “… see you” and headed upstairs. The teen’s mother saw him leave the home by the back door.

Quist said the teen discovered that a pair of her lace panties which had been in plain view had been taken and police were called.

Quist told court that Adams became a suspect and was arrested in his car on Sept. 19, 2014.

In his trunk were found snapshots of unknown teenage girls at a high school graduation, a woman’s tank top, a bikini bottom and six pairs of female panties in various sizes, including two pairs that belonged to the teen victim.

Also seized was a plastic bag with 59 grams of marijuana.

Court heard Adams told police he collected the panties from garbage bags in alleys and second-hand stores.

A psychiatric assessment of Adams was ordered and a sentencing hearing was scheduled for Dec. 16.

In 2008, Adams was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to several charges including breaking and entering and committing sexual assault with a weapon, breaking and entering with intent to commit sexual assault, and sexual assault.

Court heard Adams broke into several west-end homes in 2007 and made sexual advances on sleeping females, including a 13-year-old.

At the time, police said Adams was a “person of interest” in the socalled Panty Bandit case, which involved a male suspect responsible for at least nine break-ins in the west end since May 2003 in which female underwear was stolen.