A St. Paul man faces charges after breaking into the front porch of a St. Paul home last spring and masturbating while peering into the resident’s windows, authorities say.
Police suspect Gentry James Johnson was involved in similar incidents reported around the city earlier this summer.
The 38-year-old was arrested after officers sent a photo of him captured on the St. Paul homeowner’s surveillance system to area media and law enforcement agencies.
A detective from Brooklyn Center recognized Gentry from similar crimes he committed in his jurisdiction and called St. Paul police, authorities say.
CHARGES FILED
The Ramsey County attorney’s office charged him Thursday with one count of first-degree burglary for his alleged conduct, according to the criminal complaint filed against him.
Officers responded to a home on the 1200 block of Blair Avenue in the Hamline-Midway area around 1 a.m. April 6 after the homeowner reported seeing a man expose himself on her enclosed front porch, the complaint said.
Video footage captured on her surveillance system showed Gentry enter the porch, climb up on a chair, and begin masturbating while looking through windows into the 69-year-old’s living room, authorities say.
He continued for about 10 minutes and stopped only when the woman walked toward the window, according to the complaint.
When he saw her, Gentry allegedly fled.
Gentry denied his involvement after his arrest and told officers it wasn’t him captured on the video, the complaint said.
LEWD CONDUCT REPORTED ELSEWHERE
Police suspect Gentry is the same man other residents have been sounding alarms about this summer.
In addition to the 69-year-old’s home, other residents on Blair Avenue reported seeing a man in people’s yards and looking through windows, officers say.
Similar reports were made in Frogtown, as well the 800 block of Carroll Avenue.
Twice on Carroll Avenue — on July 14 and Aug. 6 — women reported seeing a man masturbating on their front porches.
Police released a photo of the suspect last week along with a request to the public for help in identifying him as soon as possible out of fear that his behavior could escalate.
He was arrested at a place where he was living on Carroll Avenue this week, legal documents say.
HISTORY OF SIMILAR CONDUCT
Gentry was charged in 2014 with interference of privacy after engaging in the same kind of criminal behavior in Brooklyn Park.
In that case, a homeowner reported multiple instances of a man peeping into her windows while exposing himself.
Police set up a surveillance system and eventually captured footage of Gentry climbing atop an air-conditioner condenser unit before engaging in the lewd conduct, court records say.
He pleaded guilty to the crime in June of 2015.
While his only other criminal conviction in Minnesota was for possession of a small amount of marijuana, authorities in Ramsey and Hennepin counties say he has an extensive criminal history elsewhere, including other past convictions for interference of privacy and burglary.
Johnson’s public defender could not immediately be reached for comment. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 28.