Calese Crowder, 39, a registered sex offender with prior arrests tied to lewd conduct in the San Fernando Valley, was taken into custody by Glendale police last week.
Officers responded to a business in the 1500 block of Glenoaks Boulevard near Jefferson Elementary School after witnesses described a man crouching close to others. A similar report at a Marshalls store prompted review of security recordings from both sites.
Footage allowed police to identify Crowder, who was located in the 100 block of South Brand Boulevard. He was arrested solely for violating parole conditions and is being held without bail pending court proceedings.
This marks another detention for Crowder, who was taken into custody again in August 2025 following an incident at a Burbank Walgreens. His record includes multiple lewd conduct cases in Glendale and Burbank dating to 2021, and he previously admitted a parole breach that resulted in more than 100 days in jail.
One month before the Walgreens event, officers detained him after a report of a suspicious individual in the women's section of a Nordstrom Rack at the Burbank Empire Center. He was later found at a nearby Walmart. "While in the women's section, the suspect was observed following a female customer, crouching near her, and engaging in lewd behavior by inappropriately sniffing her buttocks," police stated last year.
In 2023 Crowder drew attention for an alleged stalking episode at a Barnes and Noble in Burbank. Michaela Witter recorded the encounter on video that circulated widely online and described him crouching near her legs before claiming he was tying his shoes.
This report is based on coverage by ABC7 Los Angeles: https://abc7.com/story/calese-crowder-arrest-repeat-offender-charged-multiple-butt-sniffing-incidents-arrested-glendale/19772412/