logo
Virginia-Highland residents on edge as 'Peeping Tom' lurks outside home

Virginia-Highland residents on edge as 'Peeping Tom' lurks outside home

Yahoo06-06-2025
The Brief
Residents in Virginia-Highland are on high alert due to a man seen lurking outside homes and peering into windows, raising safety concerns.
Atlanta police briefly pursued the suspect after responding to a victim's home, noting similarities with another "peeping Tom" incident.
Authorities urge anyone with information or similar experiences to come forward, as the suspect's identity remains unconfirmed.
ATLANTA - Residents in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood say they are on high alert after a man was seen lurking outside homes and peering into windows, sometimes near bedrooms and bathrooms.
At least two families report separate incidents involving the same individual, raising concerns throughout the community.
What they're saying
Alisha Brown, one of the victims, said her family's sense of safety has been shattered.
"We're both on high alert," Brown said. "My son, he had to talk to his counselor today because he's been super hypervigilant and suspicious of everything and everyone around him."
Brown said she woke up Wednesday morning to find the man standing just outside her bedroom window.
"He would just stand here, which made me feel like he didn't want to be seen, but he could see into my bathroom," she recalled.
Just two days earlier, Brown noticed the same man watching her while she was in the garden.
"He made it all the way over and he saw me standing on my porch and then he jumped back," she said.
Brown also recognized the man in Ring camera footage captured at a neighbor's home this week.
"My heart dropped into my stomach again," she said. "It was him. It was him. It fit my description to a T."
What we know
Atlanta police responded to Brown's home on Wednesday and briefly pursued the suspect, but he got away. Authorities say there are similarities between this case and another recent "peeping Tom" incident, though they have not confirmed whether it is the same person.
What's next
Brown said she hopes going public will help police find the man.
"I don't want this to happen to anyone else because it's very violating," she said. "It's hard to put into words. I wasn't touched, but I feel touched."
What you can do
Police are urging anyone with information or who has experienced similar activity to come forward. The man's face has been blurred in surveillance footage as authorities work to confirm his identity.
The Source
The Atlanta Police Department provided the details of the Peeping Tom case. Residents in the area spoke with FOX 5 giving their reaction.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Authorities arrest alleged associate of man suspected in deaths of 4 in Tennessee
Authorities arrest alleged associate of man suspected in deaths of 4 in Tennessee

NBC News

time8 hours ago

  • NBC News

Authorities arrest alleged associate of man suspected in deaths of 4 in Tennessee

A man described as an associate of the suspect in a quadruple homicide in Tennessee earlier this week has been arrested on suspicion of helping the fugitive, authorities said Saturday. Tanaka Brown, 29, was arrested and jailed Friday. He has been charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. Brown is being held without bond in Lake County Jail, the bureau said. He is accused of helping Austin Robert Drummond, 28, who remained at large Saturday night. Authorities have been searching for Drummond in connection with the deaths of four people Tuesday in Tiptonville. The four bodies were discovered after an infant was found abandoned in a car seat in Dyer County, setting off a scramble to find the baby's guardians, Stephen Sutton, a spokesperson for the sheriff's offices in Lake and Dyer counties, said at a Friday news conference. 'The baby is safe and is being cared for,' Sutton said. Drummond has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, possession of a gun during a dangerous felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Suspect Austin Drummond. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Drummond was out on bond when the killings took place, Danny Goodman, district attorney for Dyer and Lake counties, said Friday. He had been released on bond related to an incident that allegedly took place in prison, where he was serving time for aggravated robbery, Goodman said. It's not clear whether Brown or Drummond have retained legal counsel. The public defender's office for the judicial district that covers Lake and Dyer counties was not available to provide information late Saturday. Drummond is described as armed and dangerous, and anyone who spots him was asked to call 911. 'Getting Austin Drummond in custody is a priority,' the U.S. Marshals Service said. Two vehicles associated with Drummond have been found, authorities said. A white 1988 Ford pickup with red side panels was located in Dyer County on Saturday, and authorities are asking anyone with security video of the truck to send it to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Drummond's white 2016 Audi A3 was found abandoned Friday in Jackson, about 74 miles southeast of Tiptonville, the bureau said. He is believed to still be in the Jackson area, bureau Director David B. Rausch said Friday. 'This incident has this community on edge,' Rausch said. Jackson is about 87 miles northeast of Memphis. Authorities have previously identified the victims as Matthew Wilson, 21, the abandoned child's father; Adrianna Williams, 20, the mother; Cortney Rose, 38, the maternal grandmother; and Braydon Williams, 15, the maternal uncle. Authorities haven't said how they died but have described their deaths as the result of murder. 'There is a familial relationship between the suspect and the family,' Rausch said. A relative of the victims said Thursday in a Facebook post that the suspect has 'literally been nothing short of amazing to us and our kids.' According to the post, Drummond previously dated a sister of Rose. Rausch said the suspect showed a sign of compassion — dropping the child off — so "there is hope for him to be able to come in and have a conversation about what happened.' Dennis Romero

Officials scour mountainous area of Montana for ex-US soldier suspected of killing 4 in bar shooting
Officials scour mountainous area of Montana for ex-US soldier suspected of killing 4 in bar shooting

Chicago Tribune

time14 hours ago

  • Chicago Tribune

Officials scour mountainous area of Montana for ex-US soldier suspected of killing 4 in bar shooting

Authorities were scouring a mountainous area of western Montana on Saturday for a military veteran who they say opened fire at a bar, killing four people. Michael Paul Brown, 45, fled The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda in a white pickup truck but ditched it at some point, said Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, which is overseeing the case. He urged residents late Friday to stay at home and remain on high alert. On Saturday, authorities released a photo of the suspect, barefoot and shirtless, walking down what appeared to be a flight of outdoor concrete steps. The photo showed Brown, wearing black shorts, fleeing after the shooting Friday, according to the Division of Criminal Investigation. 'While law enforcement has not received reports of Brown harming any other individuals, he is believed to be armed, and he is extremely dangerous,' Johnson said. Anaconda-Deer Lodge Police Chief Bill Sather said Saturday that businesses in the area could open, but he urged caution. Authorities said they would release the names of the victims once all of their families have been notified. 'This is a small tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community or Montanans stand for,' Johnson said. Anaconda, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Butte, is hemmed in by mountains. The town of about 9,000 people was founded by copper barons who profited off nearby mines in the late 1800s. A smelter stack that is no longer operational looms over the valley. Brown lived next door to The Owl Bar, said owner David Gwerder, who wasn't there during the shooting Friday morning. Gwerder told The Associated Press that the bartender and three patrons were killed and didn't think anyone else was inside. He also said he wasn't aware of any conflicts between Brown and any of the victims. 'He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,' Gwerder said. 'He didn't have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.' Brown served in the U.S. Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, said Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said. He left military service in the rank of sergeant. Brown's niece, Clare Boyle, told The Associated Press on Friday that her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years and that she and her other family members repeatedly sought help. 'This isn't just a drunk/high man going wild,' she wrote in a Facebook message. 'It's a sick man who doesn't know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn't know where or when he is either.' With no sign of Brown in the white pickup or his home, authorities converged on the Stumptown Road area west of Anaconda by ground and air Friday, locking it down so no one was allowed in or out. Authorities had lifted the lockdown by Saturday. A helicopter hovered over a nearby mountainside as officers moved among the trees, said Randy Clark, a retired police officer who lives there. The search continued Saturday morning, said Chase Scheuer, a spokesperson for Montana's Division of Criminal Investigation. As reports of the shooting spread through town earlier Friday, business owners locked their doors and sheltered inside with customers. The owner of the Firefly Café in Anaconda said she locked up her business after a friend alerted her to the shooting.

Day 2 manhunt for US Army vet. accused of killing 4 in Montana bar, escaped in underpants: authorities
Day 2 manhunt for US Army vet. accused of killing 4 in Montana bar, escaped in underpants: authorities

New York Post

time15 hours ago

  • New York Post

Day 2 manhunt for US Army vet. accused of killing 4 in Montana bar, escaped in underpants: authorities

The gunman who allegedly opened fire in a Montana bar and killed four people is a US Army veteran who was photographed leaving the scene wearing nothing but black underpants, authorities revealed. The manhunt for Michael Paul Brown is on its second day after authorities say he opened fire around 10:30 a.m. Friday in The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda, located about 25 miles northwest of Butte. Brown, 45, escaped down a stone staircase wearing black, brief-style underwear, according to a new surveillance image released by the Montana Department of Justice. Advertisement 3 Michael Paul Brown fled The Owl Bar down a stone staircase wearing nothing other than black, brief-style underwear, according to a surveillance image released by the Montana Department of Justice. Montana Department of Justice David Gwerder, the bar's owner, said it's also likely that Brown – who lived next door to the watering hole – knew the three patrons and the bartender, all of whom he's accused of killing. 'He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,' Gwerder said. 'He didn't have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.' Advertisement The victims' names have not been publicly identified. 3 The manhunt for Brown, a retired US Army veteran, was in its second day Saturday. facebook/Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center Following the shooting, Brown drove off in a white pickup truck but later ditched it, ABC 7 reported, citing Montana Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Lee Johnson. 'While law enforcement has not received reports of Brown harming any other individuals, he is believed to be armed, and he is extremely dangerous,' Johnson said, according to the outlet. Advertisement 'This is a small tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community of Montanans stand for,' he continued. As reports of the shooting circulated around the town Friday, its less than 10,000 residents took refuge behind locked doors. With no sign of Brown in his vehicle or home, authorities converged by ground and air, and put the Stumptown Road area located just west of Anaconda on lockdown. Officers from local, state and federal agencies were focusing on the same search area Saturday morning, said Chase Scheuer, a spokesperson for the Treasure State DOJ. Advertisement On Saturday afternoon, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Police Chief Bill Sather thanked local residents for their patience during 'this very stressful and tragic time' and expressed condolences to the victims' friends and family. 'We are doing everything we can to find and bring this perpetrator to justice,' Sather said in a video posted to the department's Facebook page. 'It's okay to go about your business in town, but please use caution…if you see anything suspicious, please call 911.' Brown served in the Army as an armor crewman from January 2001 to May 2005, and was deployed to Iraq for just over a year during that period, said Army spokesperson Maj. Dustin Ramos. 3 The names of the victims — which included three patrons and bartender — have not yet been released publicly. x/ATF_Denver He was a member of the National Guard from April 2006 to March 2008, and left the service in the rank of sergeant, according to Ramos. Brown struggled with mental health issues in the years leading up to the shooting while relatives desperately sought help for him, said Brown's niece, Clare Boyle. 'This isn't just a drunk/high man going wild,' she wrote in a Facebook message to the outlet. 'It's a sick man who doesn't know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn't know where or when he is either.' Boyle, who didn't immediately respond to requests for comment, doubled down in a public Facebook post Friday night. Advertisement 'While you're all out here talking about things we're uncertain of. There is one thing I'm certain of. Mental health is real. And it goes unmanaged and dismissed every single day,' she wrote. 'There are people who search for help and get turned away at every stop along the path. There are people who cry for help and show DEFINITE warning signs of crash out,' Boyle continued. 'The system is broken. The system fails us. When our veterans gets turned away seeking mental health help because 'We can't help unless it's a harm to self or others.' It's heartbreaking.' Advertisement Gwerder and Johnson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. With Post wires

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store