Local police have finally nabbed a man they believe has repeatedly peeped into people’s homes at the Alister Falls Church apartments in Idylwood.
A 49-year-old Idylwood man was arrested on Wednesday (Jan. 8) and charged with five counts of peeping into an occupied dwelling, the Fairfax County Police Department announced yesterday (Thursday).
Police first received a report on April 9, 2024 from a woman living in the 2100 block of Evans Court who said she “observed a man peeping through her window.” Seven more peeping incidents were reported in the same block between April 11 and Dec. 9.
All of the incidents occurred between 5:40 and 6 a.m., police said. Detectives from the FCPD’s Sex Crimes Unit ultimately determined that the same person was behind all of them.
The FCPD says it saw progress in the case came after it publicized the investigation on Dec. 19 by sharing images from surveillance footage that showed the alleged suspect.
“On December 26, detectives received a significant breakthrough when a Crime Solvers tip was submitted regarding these cases,” the department said in a news release. “The tipster, who had seen an FCPD press release earlier that month, provided information that helped detectives identify the suspect.”
Fairfax County Crime Solvers is a nonprofit program run by a board of community members and business leaders that solicits tips for the FCPD. Tips can be submitted anonymously by phone and email. Since the program began in October 1979, it has assisted with over 1,917 arrests, according to its website.
The man arrested for the Idylwood peeping incidents was brought to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center before being released on recognizance, according to court records. An arraignment is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. next Tuesday, Jan. 14, with an adjudicatory hearing to follow on Feb. 24.
The charge of peeping into an occupied dwelling is classified as a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia, which carries a potential punishment of up to 12 months in jail and a maximum $2,500 fine, if the person is convicted.
