What to Know
- A NY man with a history of public lewdness was arrested after he was found hiding in a neighbor’s closet while completely naked, cops said
- The man allegedly removed a window screen in the back of a neighbor's apartment, and was seen walking in the home while naked
- The man, Brian Bates, was arrested and faces felony burglary charges. He could get as much as 15 years in prison
A New York man with a history of public lewdness was arrested after he was found hiding in a neighbor’s closet — while completely naked, police said.
Catherine Graham says she never had so much as a conversation with her neighbor Brian Bates, but that didn’t stop the 48-year-old from breaking into her Piermont apartment on September 18 and sneaking into her children’s closet, being found there buck nude, police said.
Bates removed a window screen in the back of Graham’s apartment, according to police, and was seen walking in the home while naked. Two neighbors, Keah Larsen and her husband, spotted Bates in the home and promptly called the police.
“My husband comes down like a cannon shot out of the building saying ‘I think he’s in the apartment downstairs,’” said Larsen.
Shortly after, Bates went into the closet inside the room of Graham’s 10- and 6-year-old daughters, which is where police found him, according to authorities. He was arrested and faces felony burglary charges, and was remanded in the Rockland County Jail.
Possibly even more twisted is that neighbors in the apartment complex say that this kind of thing isn’t totally shocking considering Bates’ history. According to northjersey.com, the man has a history of arrests for public lewdness dating back to the 1990s. Neighbors also complained that they would often see him in apartment hallways, touching himself.
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“We knew that this was going to escalate,” said neighbor Brendan Kessler. “He just kept getting let out and put back in here even though he clearly can’t be around kids.”
Some in the community are hopeful this arrest will keep Bates out of their neighborhood for good.
“It’s terrifying. I just hope he ends up staying in jail and not getting out again,” Graham said.
If convicted, Bates could face up to 15 years in prison.
