A Southern California man with a lengthy history of arrests and allegations involving inappropriate behaviour toward women in public is back in custody. Calese Crowder, 39, was arrested Friday after Glendale police said surveillance footage from two businesses helped identify him following reports of a suspicious man acting similarly at both locations.
Crowder, a registered sex offender who was on parole, was arrested on suspicion of violating the terms of his parole and was being held without bail pending a hearing, according to police and jail records. But the latest case is only the newest chapter in a years-long series of encounters with police in Glendale and Burbank.
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Glendale police investigate two suspicious store reports within minutes
The latest incident began shortly after 3:30 p.m. Friday, when Glendale police received a report about a suspicious man at an unidentified business in the 1500 block of Glenoaks Boulevard.
According to police, the man was seen “hunkered down” in the aisles and appeared to be “sniffing someone out.”
Before officers had finished responding to that call, another report came in from the Marshalls store at Brand Boulevard and Broadway. Police said the second report involved a similar incident.
Investigators then reviewed surveillance footage from both businesses. According to Glendale police, the footage allowed them to identify the suspect as Crowder.
He was subsequently located in the 100 block of South Brand Boulevard and taken into custody. Police said the arrest involved an alleged parole violation, and Crowder was expected to remain in custody until his hearing.
The current case is therefore being handled as a parole matter rather than as an announced new criminal charge specifically tied to the behaviour reported at the two stores.
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Calese Crowder’s arrest history stretches back to 2021
For Glendale and Burbank police, Crowder’s name was already familiar.
According to police, his history of similar incidents dates back to 2021 and includes allegations involving peeping, prowling and lewd behaviour. Previous investigations also involved women who reported that he followed or approached them inside retail stores.
Crowder was a registered sex offender and on active parole at the time of his latest arrest.
That parole status is significant because his previous encounters with law enforcement had already resulted in criminal proceedings and incarceration.
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What happened in the 2025 Burbank arrests?
Crowder was arrested twice during the summer of 2025 following separate incidents in Burbank.
In July 2025, Burbank police responded to a report involving a suspicious individual loitering in the women’s department of a Nordstrom Rack at the Burbank Empire Center. By the time officers arrived, the suspect had left.
Police searched the surrounding area and located Crowder inside a nearby Walmart.
After reviewing surveillance footage, Burbank police said they saw Crowder following a female customer through the women’s section, crouching near her and engaging in lewd behaviour.
Police described the conduct as:
“engaging in lewd behavior by inappropriately sniffing her buttocks.”
Crowder was detained for further investigation.
A Burbank Police Department news release identified him as a 38-year-old Glendale resident, a registered sex offender and someone on active parole with a documented history of similar arrests in Glendale and Burbank dating back to 2021.
The Burbank City Attorney’s Office filed one count of loitering with intent to commit a crime. Crowder remained in custody with bail set at $100,000.
He was arrested again in August 2025 following another alleged incident at a Burbank store.
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Crowder received a 135-day jail sentence after admitting parole violation
The repeated 2025 incidents eventually led to another period behind bars.
In September 2025, Crowder was ordered to serve 135 days in Los Angeles County Jail after admitting that he had violated his parole, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
That sentence followed his Burbank arrests during the summer.
The development also helps explain why Glendale police are treating the latest case as a parole issue. Crowder was already under parole supervision when investigators identified him following the two new store reports.
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The 2023 Barnes & Noble video made Crowder a viral name
Before the 2025 arrests, Crowder had already attracted widespread attention online.
In August 2023, a woman named Michaela Witter posted a TikTok video showing a man crouching behind her inside a Barnes & Noble store in Burbank. The footage appeared to show the man moving extremely close to Witter while she browsed.
When Witter confronted him, she said he claimed he was tying his shoes.
The video quickly spread online, and additional women contacted Witter with allegations that they had experienced similar behaviour involving the same man.
However, the viral Barnes & Noble footage should be distinguished from the criminal case that resulted in Crowder’s 2023 arrest.
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The 2023 Glendale arrest involved an occupied home
In August 2023, Glendale police announced that detectives had arrested Crowder following an investigation into an alleged peeping incident at a Glendale residence.
Police said the home was occupied by a family, including children, when the alleged incident occurred.
Glendale police obtained an arrest warrant after identifying Crowder as a suspect, and he was subsequently taken into custody.
Crowder pleaded no contest to a peeping and prowling charge and was sentenced to 60 days in county jail. He was also ordered to participate in a sexual-impulse rehabilitation programme and was subject to a protective order on behalf of the family, according to contemporaneous reporting based on police information.
That case was separate from the Barnes & Noble incident that had gone viral on TikTok.
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Why the viral video and 2023 criminal case are different
The distinction between the two 2023 incidents matters.
The Barnes & Noble episode became prominent because Witter recorded what she believed was happening and shared the footage online. In the video, the man identified as Crowder can be seen crouching behind Witter while she browsed.
Witter later said she believed he was attempting to smell her from behind, and the video prompted other women to contact her with similar accounts, according to contemporaneous news reports.
Crowder’s 2023 arrest, however, stemmed from a separate Glendale investigation involving an alleged peeping and prowling incident at an occupied home.
His later Burbank arrests in 2025 involved surveillance footage that police said showed similar behaviour. In the July 2025 case, Burbank police specifically said footage showed Crowder following a woman and crouching near her before engaging in what investigators described as “engaging in lewd behavior by inappropriately sniffing her buttocks.”
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Latest Glendale arrest leaves Crowder awaiting a parole hearing
The newest Glendale investigation has once again placed Crowder in custody, but police have not announced a new criminal charge specifically based on the alleged conduct reported at the two stores.
Instead, he was arrested for allegedly violating parole.
That distinction is important. A police report, surveillance footage or allegation does not itself establish guilt for a new criminal offence. In this case, the current custody status stems from the alleged parole violation, while the underlying store incidents were reported to police and investigated through surveillance footage.
Crowder was being held without bail pending his hearing, according to jail records and contemporaneous reporting.
For now, the latest arrest adds another entry to a law-enforcement history that has stretched across Glendale and Burbank for several years — from the 2023 viral Barnes & Noble video, to the 2023 Glendale peeping case, to the 2025 Burbank arrests and 135-day jail sentence, and now back to Glendale in 2026.
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Disclaimer
This article is based on information released or reported by the Glendale Police Department, Burbank Police Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and established news organisations, including KTLA, FOX 11 Los Angeles and CBS Los Angeles. The story has been compiled from the verified information provided in those sources. Allegations, police observations and surveillance descriptions should not be interpreted as findings of guilt unless established by a court. Details of the latest case may change as the legal proceedings continue.
Sources
- Glendale Police Department — official 2023 news release concerning Calese Crowder
- Burbank Police Department — official July 2025 news release
- KTLA — latest report on Crowder’s August 2026 arrest
- FOX 11 Los Angeles — latest report citing Glendale Police Department
- CBS Los Angeles — latest report on the Glendale arrest
- KTLA — 2025 report on Crowder’s 135-day jail sentence
- CBS Los Angeles — 2023 report on the Barnes & Noble incident and Crowder’s arrest
Featured Image Credit: Glendale Police Department
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