Serial peeping tom suspect arrested
Believed to have committed crimes in Oak Park, Eastpointe as well
A suspected serial peeping tom was arrested by Warren police Thursday after he was seen entering a backyard and peering into windows of an Oak Park home.
The 41-year-old suspect, who was apprehended by members of the Warren special operations unit, is believed to be responsible for at least eight incidents in the cities of Warren, Eastpointe and Oak Park.
According to Warren police, the suspect is a Black male resident of Detroit with a criminal history that includes felony convictions for home invasion, drugs and weapons offenses.
Investigators will present the case to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office for review and charges. Eastpointe Public Safety Director George Rouhib said his detectives executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home where evidence related to the alleged incidents was found.
He expects to seek charges against the suspect, possibly today, and it is likely that additional charges will be filed by Oak Park.
According to Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer, his department recently received two similar reports of a man with a ladder looking into windows of homes in the areas of Toepfer Road and MacArthur Boulevard and Toepfer and Schoenherr roads.
“Both reports indicated that residents observed an unknown male carrying a ladder and peering into windows at their residences,” said Dwyer. “In one instance, a female caller said that a window screen had been removed and that the suspect was attempting to look into her daughter’s bedroom.”
Dwyer said both Warren incidents happened in late evening or early morning hours and that captured images from security cameras of one Warren resident helped officers identify and locate the suspect.
“Knowing that peeping tom suspects often escalate their behaviors into home invasions and sexual assaults, our investigators immediately contacted surrounding cities with possible suspect information,” said Dwyer. “They learned that Eastpointe police had received six reports of similar incidents with the suspect peering into windows while carrying a ladder.”
Eastpointe PD requested the assistance of the Warren police special operations unit in attempting to identify and arrest the suspect.
In the late evening hours of Feb. 16, Warren special operations officers were conducting surveillance on the suspect which led them to an Oak Park home that police say was occupied by several juveniles under the age of 16. It was there that they observed the suspect walking in and out of a backyard of an occupied home and looking into windows of the home, then hiding behind a large shrub. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle and was taken into custody without incident.
Commissioner Dwyer applauded the outstanding police work displayed by the members of the Warren police special operations unit and collaboration with Eastpointe police in working to apprehend the suspect.
“Thankfully, this suspect is off the streets and will no longer be frightening residents in the tri-county area,” said Dwyer.