Actions

Holy Cross 'peeper' arrested, ID'd as registered sex offender

Posted at 4:54 PM, Feb 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-02 11:47:03-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- A registered sex offender just released from prison has been peeping into windows and exposing himself in an east side neighborhood, according to an affidavit filed by IMPD Thursday.

For weeks, residents of the Holy Cross Neighborhood have been reporting an unknown man was looking into their windows. In at least one instance, the man was caught on a home surveillance camera peeping into a window with his pants down. Two women also reported the man had exposed himself to them.

"It helped a lot because we had videos, we had descriptions, people were very vigilant about catching this guy," said one resident.

The incidents became so frequent that residents formed their own neighborhood watch groups to walk the area at night to put a stop to it.

"We had people walking the streets at night which really helped put people at ease," said another resident.

Neighbors in the area also reported incidents on apps and even called a meeting with precinct officers.

PREVIOUS | Man caught on surveillance peeking into windows and pulling down his pants

On Wednesday, residents in the 200 block of Arsenal Avenue again spotted the man – this time appearing to be looking into their neighbor’s bathroom window.

Police were notified, and an officer arrived on scene to find a male suspect – later identified as 39-year-old Harlan T. Graves – standing in an alley between two residences.

Graves was placed under arrest on a preliminary charge of voyeurism and booked into the Marion County Jail.

Graves is a registered sexually violent predator due to an April 2000 conviction for child molesting and 2008 convictions for vicarious sexual gratification.

Court records show he pleaded guilty in June 2016 to failure to register as a sex offender and was sentenced to two years in prison. He was released on parole on Dec. 18 of last year. Reports of peeping in the Holy Cross Neighborhood began just weeks following that release.

As of Thursday evening, Graves was being held at the Marion County Jail awaiting an initial hearing.

MORE FROM THE CRIME BEAT | Indianapolis sets all-time homicide record for third year in a row MAP: Indy's most dangerous neighborhoods | The Night the Sky Caught Fire: The Untold Stories of Richmond Hill | Convicted child molester reveals how he selected & groomed his victims | Teens killed man over weed and a pair of Air Jordans, police say | MAP: 2017 Indianapolis homicides