A California man with a lengthy record of sexually predatory behavior in retail stores has been arrested once again, reigniting criticism of a criminal justice system that has repeatedly allowed him back onto the streets.
Calese Crowder, 39, a registered sex offender, was taken into custody Friday after police say he was captured on surveillance video at two Southern California stores engaging in the same disturbing behavior that has marked his criminal history: sneaking up behind women and sniffing them, particularly their buttocks.
The first call came in to the Glendale Police Department at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time, with reports of a suspicious man crouching in the aisles of a store in the 1500 block of Glenoaks Boulevard. According to police, he appeared to be “sniffing someone out.”
Officers had barely finished at that scene when they were dispatched to another location nearby, where the report was nearly identical: a man crouching in the aisles, appearing to smell customers as they passed.
After reviewing surveillance footage from both stores, police identified Crowder, located him a short distance from the second location, and arrested him for violating the conditions of his parole.
Crowder is no stranger to law enforcement. His criminal record in Los Angeles County alone includes at least 43 arrests since 2005, according to a Fox News Digital report from 2023. His pattern of behavior has been consistent and public for years, yet he has repeatedly been released back into the community.
A History of Repeat Offenses
In 2025, Crowder was arrested after Burbank police said they caught him behaving strangely in the women’s department of a Nordstrom Rack at the Empire Center. According to police at the time, he had been “engaging in lewd behavior by inappropriately sniffing her buttocks.”
That arrest came while Crowder was already on parole for a series of similar charges dating back years. He was charged with violating those conditions and, in September 2025, was ordered to serve 135 days in the Los Angeles County Jail.
In 2023, Crowder was arrested after an incident at a Barnes & Noble, where he was also found to have failed to comply with a court order to register as a sex offender with local authorities.
“As a component of a previous arrest and sentencing Crowder was ordered to register as a sex offender,” Glendale Police said at the time. “Glendale Police confirmed that he had not registered as a sex offender with our department and was in violation. He was arrested again today.”
Victims and Witnesses Express Fear
The frustration with Crowder’s repeated releases has been voiced publicly by those who have encountered him. Michaela Witter, who filmed a Barnes & Noble encounter with Crowder and posted it to TikTok, slammed the system that allowed him to walk free just three days after his initial arrest.
“Is this real? I think he maybe spent three days in jail,” Witter said. “They can’t do anything until he’s done something really bad to someone, and I’m honestly scared that that person is gonna be me.”
Witter’s fears reflect a broader concern among residents in the Glendale and Burbank areas, where Crowder has been arrested multiple times in recent years for the same type of behavior.
What Happens Next
Following Friday’s arrest, Crowder is currently being held pending his next hearing. It remains unclear what penalties he may face for this latest parole violation, but given his history, local observers are bracing for the possibility of yet another release.
The case has renewed debate over how the justice system handles repeat offenders with compulsive predatory behavior, especially those who have not yet committed a violent crime but whose actions leave victims feeling violated and unsafe.
Glendale police have not released additional details about the investigation or the exact locations of the two stores involved.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/butt-sniffer-sex-offender-arrested-again-after-blue-state-keeps-letting-him-walk