Additional Coverage:
A registered sex offender known for approaching women from behind to sniff them in public has been sentenced to 170 days in county jail for violating his parole.
Calese Crowder, 39, was arrested by the Glendale Police Department on August 28 following two consecutive emergency calls from nearby retail stores. The incidents occurred on a Friday afternoon shortly after 3:30 p.m., beginning at a store on Glen Oaks Boulevard.
Witnesses reported seeing a suspicious man “hunkered down” in the shopping aisles, seemingly “sniffing someone out,” according to local news reports.
As officers responded to this first call, another complaint came in from a Marshalls store at Brand Boulevard and Broadway, describing a similar disturbance. Police reviewed security footage from both locations and identified Crowder, who was soon apprehended on S. Brand Avenue.
Crowder has been a persistent concern for residents of the Burbank and Glendale areas since 2021. He gained widespread attention in August 2023 when a victim posted a viral video showing him crouching behind her at a Barnes & Noble bookstore. When confronted, Crowder claimed he was merely tying his shoes.
His disturbing behavior-squatting close to women and attempting to inhale their scent-has been documented repeatedly, including arrests in August 2025 for incidents at a Burbank Nordstrom Rack and a nearby shopping center.
Despite a previous 135-day jail sentence in September 2025 for parole violations, Crowder was quickly released back into the community. Because his actions are often charged as misdemeanors or parole infractions, prosecutors have faced challenges in securing longer prison terms.
Local residents and victims have expressed frustration with what they describe as a “revolving door” in the legal system, calling for stronger measures to address Crowder’s ongoing pattern of behavior.