New Surveillance Sharing Program Leads to Arrest of Alleged Voyeur in Tuscaloosa

Residents sharing access to their surveillance footage led to the speedy arrest of an alleged "peeping Tom" accused of spying into the windows of local apartments in Tuscaloosa last month.

Stephanie Taylor, a spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa Police Department, said investigators were first alerted to suspicious activity on the night of December 13th. Callers said a man appeared to be peering into windows at several central Tuscaloosa apartment complexes including Parkview Circle, Avalon Place and Bent Tree Apartments.

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One segment of private surveillance footage provided to investigators reportedly showed a man looking through a woman's bedroom window, then standing on an air-conditioning unit and then a window ledge to look into other windows in the apartment complex on 15th Street.

Footage captured by a Ring camera early the next morning allegedly showed the man pleasuring himself while looking through a window outside a different apartment in the Bent Tree complex off Hargrove Road.

Taylor said investigators were familiar with the suspect, who they recognized as 23-year-old Te'eric Ware of Tuscaloosa.

Ware was ultimately arrested last month and charged with aggravated criminal surveillance, which is a felony and misdemeanor indecent exposure.

He remained in the Tuscaloosa County Jail Tuesday on a combined $12,000 bond.

Taylor said the Tuscaloosa Police Department is asking residents in all three apartment complexes - Parkview Circle, Avalon Place and Bent Tree Apartments - and residents of the Forest Lake area to review surveillance footage from that time period and report any suspicious activity to Inv. Wallace by emailing jwallace@tuscaloosa.com or calling the Criminal Investigations Division at 205-248-4521.

"The residents who were willing to share their security footage made it possible for us to identify and arrest this suspect quickly," Taylor said. "This case highlights how working with the community greatly contributes to overall safety."

Increased sharing of surveillance footage between TPD and the public is an ongoing priority, as the Thread first reported back in February 2022.

Through an initiative called Safeguard Tuscaloosa, TPD is building a list of working security cameras in use by citizens and businesses across the city. If a crime occurs in their area, users receive automated emails requesting they review their footage for video that could assist with the investigation. Learn more at www.safeguardtuscaloosa.org.