Police arrested a suspected peeper months after a Northern Virginia woman reported someone looking through her window.
Jose Ramirez peeped at least seven other times in the same neighborhood, Fairfax County investigators said. Police arrested him Wednesday.
“Cases like this where it’s a simple peeping, looking through a window, often time lead to more serious crimes,” Fairfax County police Capt. Kent Bailey said.
On April 9, a woman called police about a man peeping through her window on Evans Court near Leesburg Pike in Idylwood. The same man went back to the apartment complex two days later and again the following week, detectives said.
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“They all happened within the same neighborhood,” Bailey said. “There are different victims in this case.”
Peeping was reported again June 11 and June 18.
“In cases like this where we have peeping, a lot of people may see it as a very harmless event, and it’s actually, probably one of the more serious cases that our major crimes bureaus deal with,” Bailey said.
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“It can lead to assaults, sexual assaults or violent crimes in nature,” he said.
Three more incidents were reported in December.
Images from surveillance cameras in the area and an anonymous tip to Crime Solvers led police to Ramirez. The 49-year-old is charged with five counts of peeping into an occupied dwelling.
The investigation continues, and police want anyone who may know something about the case to call 703-246-7800, option three.
“We do want to hear from the community if they’ve had suspicious interactions or have seen any other type of illegal activity, particularly with Mr. Ramirez, to give our non-emergency phone number a phone call,” Bailey said.
