Police arrest man accused of being a Peeping Tom
LAWRENCE, Ind. (WISH) — “He’s in custody,” said the voice on the line just before 2 p.m. Monday.
It was the voice of Gary Woodruff, deputy chief of the Lawrence Police Department.
Over the weekend, detectives for the department arrested 34-year-old Prajeesh Puthiyakavil. According to Woodruff, Puthiyakavil faces a number of charges, including burglary, voyeurism and indecent exposure.
Puthiyakavil is accused of exposing himself to women and children in Lawrence over the last week. His alleged actions took place at the Maison Gardens Apartments near 42nd Street and Post Road. He’s also accused of slipping into an unlocked apartment window. A woman said that, once inside, the man grabbed her daughter, who was sleeping in a bed. She screamed, Puthiyakavil ran out of the apartment.
Days later, he would make another appearance, when a woman said he exposed himself outside her window. She called police, tracked him down outside the complex and took a picture of him.
That picture circulated on Facebook, where the photo was shared more than 1,000 times.
Detectives were able to use information from the community and track down Puthiyakavil. Woodruff credited those in the community for stepping up and helping police make an arrest.
“The community involvement, the people are the police, and the police are the people, and working hand in hand, those partnerships — that is what we try to work,” said Woodruff.
