Accused ‘Peeping Tom’ blames woman for ‘leaving windows open’
The woman told officers she was naked inside her home when she noticed the man watching her from across the street.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A man is facing multiple charges after a woman said he was not only watching her through a window but attempted to enter her North Nashville home.
On March 22, officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department were called to the 2000 block of 14th Avenue North and spoke with the homeowner who said a man just entered his home through the back entrance, according to the arrest affidavit. The resident told officers he recognized the intruder because his girlfriend caught him watching her from the street as she was naked in the home. The male resident spooked the man and he ran away after entering the home, so officers reported the incident.
MNPD detectives returned to the home on Thursday morning to speak with the residents. During the conversation, officers observed a dark sedan parked across from the home, according to the affidavit. The car drove away when officers left the residence. The officers remained to monitor the home and watched the car return, driving by the home in the opposite direction, the affidavit states.
The detectives located the car parked at a laundromat and the driver, identified as 54-year-old Joseph Allen, was walking down an alley in the direction of the house on 14th Avenue North, according to the affidavit. The detectives approached Allen and during the conversation, a small baggie containing a white powder dropped from his person, which he admitted was crack cocaine, police said.
When asked if he was watching the woman at the home, Allen responded by saying, “No,” then said if he did, “it was her fault for leaving the windows open,” the detectives reported.
After a positive identification by both residents at the home, Allen was arrested and booked on “Peeping Tom” charges. He is also charged with aggravated burglary, drug possession, and driving on a suspended license.
Ben Reiff lives down the block and said this was a scary situation. He had to shut his blinds and tie his gates closed because people kept walking through his yard from the alley to the street.
“It’s very surreal really to think that someone is walking through the neighborhood kind of trying to see through windows and see what people are doing,” Reiff said. “It’s an invasion of privacy, so that is definitely concerning.”
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