Calese Crowder, the California man known for allegedly approaching women in stores and trying to smell their buttocks, has been sentenced to 170 days in county jail after authorities said he breached a parole condition linked to the behaviour.
Crowder, 39, was sentenced on Tuesday, September 8, following his latest arrest in Glendale, Southern California. The court also imposed an unusually specific restriction requiring him to remain at least six feet away from people’s buttocks.
Glendale police said Crowder was arrested in August after several stores reported a man behaving suspiciously and repeatedly bending down around shoppers. Officers later located him in the 100 block of South Brand Boulevard and took him into custody.
At the hearing, the 170-day jail sentence was imposed for a parole violation connected to the Glendale arrest. The judge also ordered Crowder to remain 100 yards away from stores associated with the reported incidents, including Big Sav, Marshalls and HomeGoods locations in Glendale.
The latest case follows a pattern of arrests involving similar allegations. Crowder was arrested twice within a month last year in connection with harassment complaints involving women in California.
His behaviour had previously attracted widespread attention in 2021, when video footage appeared to show him crouching behind a woman and attempting to smell her rear. Crowder reportedly claimed at the time that he was tying his shoe. He was later filmed appearing to carry out similar behaviour toward another woman inside a bookshop.
Police in Glendale received further complaints earlier this month after a suspicious man was reportedly seen trying to sniff customers at a grocery store on Glenoaks Boulevard. Officers also received reports from a nearby clothing store describing similar behaviour.
After reviewing surveillance footage from the reported incidents, investigators identified Crowder as a suspect. His arrest followed on allegations that he had violated the conditions of his parole.
The Glendale case was not the only recent incident involving Crowder. Last month, he was charged with a felony and held without bail following an alleged incident at a Walgreens pharmacy in Burbank. Employees reportedly contacted police after witnessing what they described as lewd conduct.
In July, Crowder was also taken into custody after police received a report about a suspicious person loitering near the women’s department at a Nordstrom Rack store in Burbank.
The repeated arrests have now resulted in another period behind bars, along with restrictions specifically aimed at keeping Crowder away from the people and businesses involved in the allegations.
