'Wondering What The Police Are Waiting For': Midtown Prowler Suspected In New Case, Neighbors Want Answers

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A prowler has been terrorizing women in Sacramento, and one victim claims police may have tracked down the serial peeper and let him go.

A woman who lives in midtown, but does not want to be identified, claims she was followed by a man last Friday while she was walking around her neighborhood. The man allegedly started lurking from across the street and then started following her from behind. The woman said she even got out her taser and threatened him with it, but said he continued to pursue her.

"I was scared. This guy kept approaching me, even with the taser. This guy is not scared of the taser," she said. "Only when I threatened to call the police did he turn and walk away."

She immediately called the police, who found the man still in the area. The man was detained, while the police had her positively identify the man. Police released him from custody and never arrested him. Detectives told her he fit the description of the midtown prowler, a man who was been stalking and harassing women for months in the area. Investigators told her they would have to wait for fingerprints to confirm, and that could take months.

"I'm wondering what the police are waiting for? There are so many people who have come out saying that they are scared and this guy is terrorizing them," she said. "He's watching them, stalking them, what are they waiting for? Are they waiting for him to rape or kill someone? And that's what's scary because they are just telling me there is nothing they can do."

Two hours later, the same man appeared on her front doorstep and harassed her for 15 minutes, before finally leaving after she told him she was calling the police.

"I was like, 'This guy knows where I live.' He's been following me because there is no way he would've that day find where I live," she said.

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She posted pictures of the man on social media. Since Friday, multiple women have contacted her claiming the same man harassed them.

"I'm scared and it's not right, and all these women are coming out and saying they are scared and they are not doing anything about it. We can't live this way, we can't live in terror," she said.

Later that night and half a mile away, another neighbor, Bryan, said his security video captured the same man trespassing and rummaging around his porch. The video shows him chasing the same man off his front porch.

"I would think harassing women would be one of the reasons you would want to hold a person for a longer period of time than just letting them go," Bryan said.

It was not the first time Bryan has seen the man. He said the same person has come to his house multiple times but isn't convinced he is the midtown prowler.

"It's infuriating in some ways but the safety of my family is very important," he said. "It's really annoying because you are dealing with a person who knows it seems like he can get away with these things," said Bryan.

Midtown prowler or not, neighbors say they want this man behind bars.

"In the meantime, we are going to be terrorized for another month before we get the results back. Even if it isn't the prowler, he is still terrorizing everyone," said the woman who did not want to be identified.

Sacramento police are not confirming that the man let go is part of the midtown prowler investigation. In a statement to CBS13, Officer Karl Chan said they have put detectives on the case.

"Officers located the subject in the area and investigated the circumstances of what occurred. Detectives also responded to the scene to assist with the investigation. The circumstances were documented in a report and detectives will continue to follow-up to determine if this is related to the other incidents," Chan said.