Canton Police Arrest Man Suspected of Voyeurism

Canton police say they have arrested a New Britain man who faces voyeurism charges after home surveillance footage showed him peeping through a woman's window in Canton.

Canton Police said they received a complaint overnight about possible voyeurism in Collinsville, responded quickly, and apprehended 40-year-old Craige Stephens, of New Britain. 

According to the police report, officers responded to a report that someone was looking through the window of a Collinsville home in the early morning hours on Tuesday.

In a statement to police, the caller, who had previously reported that she believed someone was looking through her window at night and had set up a Ring camera, said that on Tuesday she saw a man on the camera peeking around the corner of the house. According to the report, when officers arrived Stephens was running through the front yard and officers were able to take him into custody. His car was parked nearby.

The caller said she believed the suspect was also on her property last week. The Ring footage from that incident showed a man looking inside a ground-level bedroom window. Police noted that based on the footage, he was "possibly masturbating," in that incident.

Ring footage also showed Stephens holding a cell phone up to the window and it appears he was taking photos or a video.

The caller told police she believed someone may have been looking through her window since late August.

Police said in the report that they suspect Stephens is the same individual from last week's incident. According to the report, when police asked him why he was at the home, he said he thought he knew a girl that lived there, and when asked how he knew her, he said Tinder.

Stephens has been charged with voyeurism, criminal trespass in the third degree and public indecency and held on a $50,000 bond.

He appeared in Hartford Superior Court Tuesday and bond was set at $50,000. His next court date is Nov. 22.

Police in Canton have been investigating several complaints about voyeurism and urged residents who see anything suspicious to contact them.

Over the weekend, they warned residents to be on the lookout for a suspected "peeping Tom" after reports of suspicious activity in the Collinsville area of town and urged residents to call them if they saw anything.

This activity, police said, appears to be occurring during the overnight or early morning hours.

Police said they received a complaint about voyeurism at a residence in the Collinsville section of Canton on Sept. 30 and it was similar to a complaint they received about another incident in Collinsville in early September. 

While investigating, police obtained DNA evidence, as well as photographic and video evidence.

Canton police are encouraging residents in the Collinsville area to look at any recent home surveillance camera video they may have and to contact police if they notice anything suspicious. 

Call police to report something at 860-693-0221. In an emergency, call 911.