Posted: Saturday, July 19, 2008 12:00 am
Apartment complex residents frustrated by lack of arrest
By KYLE ODEGARD
Gazette-Times reporter
PHILOMATH - Police are trying to catch a peeping Tom who has been prowling the La Geraldea Manor apartments since May 19, and residents are frustrated that the culprit still is on the loose.
"It makes me scared. I can't keep my windows open at night, and it's so hot," said Carmen Rush, a mother of four. "My kids don't want to be in their room because they know."
"We don't feel safe in our own house," said Katie Dockendorf, who lives with her boyfriend and his two children in the complex. "He looked through my window and watched me change."
On the night of July 6, Dockendorf went into her second-story bedroom and noticed someone just outside, watching her from the porch roof. Residents chased after the person and police arrived, but the peeping Tom got away.
Police Chief Ken Elwer said that was the most recent peeping incident. Police have reports of four in all. Residents of the apartments said more than four incidents occurred between May 19 and July 6.
The culprit's usual peeping method is to peer into the upstairs windows of the complex. Residents believe he climbs onto porch roofs from electrical boxes or parked vehicles.
Locals actually did a stakeout one night, hiding on the property, only to be confronted by police who were staking out the buildings themselves.
Police initially thought they had something, Elwer said.
"We've tried. We've put some effort on it," he said. "It's just so hit-and-miss. I don't want to make excuses for the fact that we haven't caught this guy. They're hard to catch."
Officers for the small department can't afford to spend hours per night providing security for one property, Elwer said.
Residents, however, are frustrated. They said that police aren't doing enough or responding quickly. They also believe that they know who the suspect is. They don't understand why no arrest has been made.
Elwer said there's a simple reason for that:
"We've talked to that individual on two occasions, and on two occasions, it wasn't him," Elwer said.
Sgt. Ray Sytsma said police weren't called immediately regarding some of the incidents, but residents contend that they called 911 immediately upon noticing the peeping Tom.
Tenants worry the suspect's actions will get more brazen.
"We all have little girls," said Debbie Stagner, who reported the prowler looking in her daughter's upstairs window on May 19. "I'm just disappointed and a whole lot scared."
Kyle Odegard can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.
Tips for preventing peeping toms
• Keep blinds and curtains closed
• Install motion detector lights, if practical
• Trim back bushes near windows to eliminate hiding spaces
• Watch out for suspicious activity to keep your neighborhood safe
• Call police immediate if you notice something suspicious