Calese Crowder was taken into custody on suspicion of violating parole after police reviewed surveillance video from two Glendale businesses.
GLENDALE, CA — A 39-year-old registered sex offender with a history of arrests involving allegations that he crouched near women and smelled their buttocks has been arrested again after two Glendale businesses reported similar behavior, police said.
Calese Crowder was arrested Friday after Glendale officers responded to separate reports of a man behaving suspiciously inside stores, according to police and local news reports. Officers reviewed surveillance footage, identified Crowder as the person shown in the recordings and later found him in the 100 block of South Brand Boulevard. He was taken into custody on suspicion of violating the terms of his parole and was being held without bail.
The latest arrest began after officers were called about 3:30 p.m. to a business in the 1500 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard. Witnesses reported seeing a man crouching down and getting unusually close to people. ABC7 identified the business as Big Sav Discount Store and reported that surveillance video showed a man crouching near an employee who was stocking shelves.
Police also received a report of similar behavior at a Marshalls near South Brand Boulevard and East Broadway. Investigators reviewed security footage from the businesses and identified Crowder as the suspect, authorities said. Police have described the latest case as a suspected parole violation rather than announcing a new conviction arising from the conduct reported at the stores.
Crowder has been arrested repeatedly in Glendale and neighboring Burbank in cases involving allegations of similar behavior. Police say the history dates to at least 2021. The allegations gained wider attention in 2023 when a woman posted a video on TikTok that appeared to show Crowder crouching behind her inside a Barnes & Noble store in Burbank.
In July 2025, Burbank police arrested Crowder after officers responded to a report of a suspicious person in the women’s department at a Nordstrom Rack. Police said the man left before officers arrived, but Crowder was later located at a nearby Walmart. Officers used store surveillance cameras to follow him and said they observed him following a woman, crouching behind her and inappropriately smelling her buttocks. The Burbank city attorney’s office filed a count of loitering with intent to commit a crime in connection with that episode.
Crowder was arrested again the following month after an alleged incident involving a woman at a Walgreens in Burbank. Later developments centered on his parole status. NBC Los Angeles reported that Crowder was on parole for a burglary conviction and has repeatedly returned to custody over alleged parole violations.
His legal troubles continued into 2026. Glendale police arrested him in April on behalf of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation over parole violations. Later that month, Crowder was sentenced to 105 days in jail for a parole violation, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office as reported by NBC Los Angeles. The sentence followed other parole-related custody and court proceedings during the previous year.
The latest reports do not establish that Crowder committed a new criminal offense at either Glendale business. The accusations remain allegations, and his current custody stems from the suspected parole violation. ABC7 reported that a court will determine what happens next. As of the latest available reports, Crowder remained jailed without bail, and no date for a further proceeding had been publicly confirmed.
Author note: Last updated September 1, 2026.