'Peeping tom' suspect arrested

After two warrants were filed for his arrest, the suspect in the "peeping tom" case was picked up and booked into Monroe County Jail Thursday morning by a bail bondsman, who also happened to be his stepfather.\nBloomington resident John Wesley Graves, 22, who has a lengthy criminal record, including sexual misconduct and rape, has been charged with one count of criminal trespass and one count of attempted voyeurism (peeping), both misdemeanors, for being in the women's locker room in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.\nGraves' stepfather, Mike Fuller, said he found out about the charges when a warrant was filed on Monday for his stepson's arrest.\n"Basically he has been living on the street off and on for several years and it was pretty likely he'd be very difficult to find," he said. "And so when I found out, I thought it'd be best for me to take him in for free." \nFuller said he does not believe his stepson's claim of innocence.\n"Unfortunately, I'm not very surprised," he said. "Past history repeats itself quite frequently." \nAdjunct Professor of Criminal Justice Dwight Noble, who teaches a class about sex crimes, said offenders with histories of sexual misconduct often have behaviors consistent with that of peepers.\n"Research has shown in recent years if we look at serious sex offenders and question them about their history of behavior very often what you will find is that they were voyeuristic," Noble said. "Sex offenders need this kind of stimulation. If there was a serial rapist and they can't rape someone tonight, they're going to look at pornography or do something that's related to their compulsion."\nA string of "peeping tom" incidents throughout the month led the IU Police Department to intensely investigate the situation.\nAccording to IUPD reports, the first incident at HPER occurred Jan. 7 when a swim coach reported a male in the women's locker room in the HPER building. When officers arrived, three juveniles told them they saw a man in the restroom standing on the toilet and watching them over the stall. They described him as a college-aged, 6-foot male with a short haircut and dark clothing. Officers were unable to find the subject.\nAgain on Jan. 17 IUPD officers responded to another call to the HPER in reference to a male subject trespassing in the women's locker room. A Recreational Sports worker spotted Graves in the locker room and escorted him upstairs while co-workers called police, according to court documents.\nThe court documents state Graves was in the HPER trying to find friends when he noticed there were people in the pool. He was inside the locker room while a swim club was in progress consisting of teenage girls.\n"Graves stated that he did not know it was a women's locker room, and when he entered, a female subject stopped him and escorted Graves out of the locker room," IUPD Officer Ian Lovan stated in a court document. "There are two signs on walls next to the locker room clearly distinguishing it as a women's locker room. In addition, the words 'WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM' are printed on the doors to the locker room."\nPolice reports indicated Graves had a knife on him that was confiscated by IUPD officers at the time. \n"At first I thought was a pocket knife but now I understand it was a large kitchen knife, and you just don't put one those in your pocket," Fuller said. "I was afraid of what the intent might have been so I wanted to get this all cleared up as soon as possible."\nGraves told officers during the initial interrogation his reason for being at the HPER was that he was looking for friends. However, "he was looking for friends that he had no reason to believe ... would be there in the first place," court documents stated.\nOfficer Lovan also stated Graves had matched the description given in an earlier report of a male subject hiding in a stall in the same locker room where Graves was found during the second incident.\nAfter questioning, IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said Graves was released that day from the station because police did not have any charges on which to hold him. However, Minger said because his physical description matched the description given to the IUPD in the earlier case, the IUPD conducted a photo lineup to identify the subject.\n"We (gathered) the people who observed the male in the earlier case," Minger said. "One of the juveniles who was at swim camp earlier in the month positively identified (Graves) as the person she encountered when he attempted to watch her change clothes."\nIt was at this point, police filed a probable cause affidavit and a warrant was issued for Graves' arrest.\nFuller picked up his stepson at around 10 a.m. Thursday morning and Graves was booked into jail about an hour and a half later. He said the conversation on the ride to book Graves into jail was quite intense.\n"If you have an hour and a half I can tell you all about it, I could probably write a book," he said. \nFuller said he is not sure if there is hope for his stepson. "Life patterns set in and don't normally change," Fuller said. "There's always hope while you're breathing, but I might not hold my breath."\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.