A Southern California man with a history of arrests for sniffing women’s rear ends in public has been arrested again.
Glendale police said they received a call about a suspicious man shortly after 3:30 p.m. Friday at an unidentified business in the 1500 block of Glenoaks Boulevard.
The man was seen “hunkered down” in the aisles and appeared to be “sniffing someone out,” according to police.
As officers were finishing their response to that call, they received another report from the Marshalls at Brand Boulevard and Broadway involving a similar incident.
Officers reviewed surveillance footage from both locations and identified the suspect as Calese Crowder, 39.
Crowder was located shortly afterward in the 100 block of S. Brand, police said.
He was arrested for violating his parole and will remain in custody until his hearing, according to Glendale police.
WHAT HAPPENED
The latest arrest began with reports of a suspicious man behaving unusually inside businesses in Glendale.
Police said the first call came in shortly after 3:30 p.m. Friday from a business in the 1500 block of Glenoaks Boulevard.
According to Glendale police, the man was “hunkered down” in the aisles and appeared to be “sniffing someone out.”
Officers responded to investigate the report.
Before they had completely finished handling that call, however, another business reported what appeared to be a similar incident.
The second report came from the Marshalls located near Brand Boulevard and Broadway.
Rather than relying solely on witness descriptions, officers reviewed surveillance footage from both locations. The footage allowed investigators to compare the suspect's behavior and identify him as Crowder.
Police then located him in the 100 block of South Brand.
Crowder was taken into custody on suspicion of violating his parole.
Glendale police said he will remain in custody until his hearing.
Who Is Calese Crowder?
Crowder, 39, is a registered sex offender who has been arrested multiple times in Southern California over allegations involving women in retail stores and other public locations.
His history of similar incidents stretches back several years and has involved both Burbank and Glendale.
The latest arrest is therefore not an isolated encounter.
According to KTLA’s previous reporting, Crowder was arrested in August 2025 after another alleged “butt-sniffing” incident inside a Burbank store.
That arrest came roughly a month after he had been taken into custody for a similar incident at Burbank’s Empire Center shopping center.
His repeated arrests have resulted in parole violations and additional time in custody.
Previous Arrest in Burbank
In one of the incidents from 2025, Burbank police responded to a Nordstrom Rack after receiving reports about a suspicious man loitering in the women’s department.
Surveillance footage reportedly showed Crowder following a female shopper inside the store.
According to Burbank police, he crouched behind the woman and was seen “engaging in lewd behavior by inappropriately sniffing her buttocks.”
Crowder was later located at a nearby Walmart and arrested.
The incident became part of a pattern that authorities had already been tracking.
At the time, Crowder was on parole for a series of similar incidents in Burbank and Glendale dating back to 2021.
Parole Violation
Crowder's history became particularly significant because he was already under parole supervision when the previous incidents occurred.
After his 2025 arrests, he was ordered to serve additional time in Los Angeles County Jail.
Crowder was ordered to serve 135 days in Los Angeles County Jail in September 2025 after admitting to violating his parole, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
That sentence followed a series of incidents that authorities had linked to his previous parole status.
The latest arrest once again centers on a parole violation rather than a newly announced criminal charge related to the alleged behavior inside the stores.
Authorities have not said whether additional charges will be filed based on the latest reports.
The 2023 Incident
Crowder's history also gained widespread attention in 2023 after a woman named Michaela Witter posted a video to TikTok showing a man behaving suspiciously inside a Barnes & Noble in Burbank.
The footage appeared to show a man crouching behind Witter and moving extremely close to her legs and backside.
Witter confronted the man, and she later said he claimed he was simply tying his shoes.
The video spread online and eventually helped lead police to identify and arrest Crowder.
That incident added to the public record surrounding the allegations against him and became one of several cases involving similar behavior.
What Police Say
Glendale police used unusual wording to describe the behavior reported during the latest calls.
The first suspect was described as “hunkered down” in store aisles.
Police also said the man appeared to be “sniffing someone out.”
Those descriptions were based on what officers were told and what they observed during the investigation.
Surveillance footage from the two businesses played a key role in identifying the suspect, according to police.
The footage reportedly provided investigators with enough information to connect the incidents and determine that Crowder was the person involved.
WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW
Despite the latest arrest, several details remain unclear.
Police have not publicly identified the first business where the suspicious behavior was reported.
Authorities have also not released details about the women who may have been involved in the latest incidents or described exactly what occurred inside either business.
It is also unclear whether prosecutors will file new criminal charges based on the latest allegations.
Crowder was arrested for violating parole, but an arrest is not a finding of guilt, and the allegations surrounding the latest incidents have not been resolved in court.
A skeptical view is important because surveillance footage and police reports can establish that someone was present or behaving suspiciously, but the precise legal significance of that conduct depends on what investigators can prove. The public details released so far do not establish every element of a new criminal offense, and Crowder remains entitled to due process.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Crowder will remain in custody pending his hearing on the parole violation, according to Glendale police.
Investigators could continue reviewing surveillance footage and witness statements from the two businesses involved in the latest reports.
If prosecutors determine that the evidence supports additional criminal charges, those could be pursued separately from the parole violation.
The latest case also adds another episode to Crowder's long history of arrests involving similar allegations in Southern California.
Authorities have not announced how long Crowder is expected to remain in custody beyond the upcoming hearing.
A Pattern Dating Back Years
The latest arrest follows a pattern that authorities have been dealing with since at least 2021.
Crowder has previously faced arrests in both Burbank and Glendale involving allegations that he followed women, loitered near them or engaged in inappropriate behavior involving their backsides.
The incidents have frequently occurred in retail environments, where surveillance cameras have provided investigators with evidence of the alleged conduct.
His previous cases have also resulted in parole consequences, including the 135-day jail sentence imposed in 2025.
The new arrest means authorities are once again dealing with a suspect whose previous cases had already placed him under supervision.