A California man with more than 40 arrests, identified as a registered sex offender, has been sentenced to 170 days in jail for his latest parole violation. Calese Crowder, 39, was arrested on August 28 by Glendale police following reports of a man acting suspiciously and allegedly attempting to smell individuals at multiple businesses. He was sentenced on Tuesday and is expected to return to parole supervision upon his release.
The sentence has drawn criticism from residents and tough-on-crime advocates who argue that California's current policies are inadequate for preventing repeat offenses by habitual offenders.
Pattern of Behavior
Glendale police responded to calls around 3:30 p.m. on August 28 regarding a man observed "hunkered down" and getting close to people to smell them at a store in the 1500 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard. A similar report led officers to a Marshalls store near South Brand Boulevard and East Broadway.
Crowder was located and arrested on suspicion of violating his parole. He was also issued orders to stay away from specific businesses in Glendale, including Marshalls, Home Goods, and Big Save.
This incident follows a pattern of alleged similar offenses by Crowder in Glendale and Burbank dating back to 2021. He was arrested twice in the preceding months and admitted to parole violations last year, for which he received over 100 days in jail. In 2023, he was also arrested for allegedly peeping into a Glendale home.
Viral social media videos, including one posted in August 2023, allegedly show Crowder crouching behind women in a Burbank Barnes & Noble bookstore and attempting to smell them. Critics contend that his history, which includes over 40 arrests for offenses such as burglary, robbery, and indecent exposure, demonstrates the failure of California's approach to crime.
Debate Over Sentencing and Laws
Critics point to measures like Proposition 47 and Proposition 57, which reclassified certain nonviolent property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and facilitated earlier releases, as contributing factors to the revolving-door justice system. Parole rules, which often cap jail time for specific violations at 180 days, are also a point of contention.
Advocates for stricter enforcement argue that a registered sex offender with a persistent record of alleged violations warrants more severe consequences than what has been imposed. Concerns have been raised that if Crowder is not kept off the streets, his behavior could escalate to physical or violent sexual assaults.
Candice Horry, wife of former NBA player Robert Horry, expressed frustration on social media, stating, "He needs to be put away for good."
Previous jail sentences for Crowder include 99 days in late 2025 and 105 days in 2026, leading up to the current 170-day sentence.