Naperville YMCA employee charged with peering into girls windows
A 24-year-old employee of Heritage YMCA in Naperville who supervises elementary-aged children was arrested in connection with a “Peeping Tom” incident and now faces charges of burglary, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, Aurora police said Wednesday.
More charges are likely as police continue their investigation of Erik S. Paxton of the 100 block of south Rosedale Avenue in Aurora, authorities said.
Paxton was arrested Sunday after allegedly being seen Saturday night running from a home on the 200 block of South Westlawn Avenue in Aurora, where a step stool had been left outside a young girl’s window, authorities said.
Police had received a report April 26 of a man peering about 11 p.m. into a different window of the same home, which views the room of another young girl. Detectives tied Paxton to the April offense as well as to a similar incident March 20, when a neighbor reported seeing a man peering into a rear window of a home on the 100 block of South Central Avenue about 10:40 p.m.
Both the Westlawn and Central avenue homes are within blocks of Paxton’s residence.
Police said Paxton was charged with three counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct — one count for each report of him peering into a home. He also was charged with two counts of residential burglary and one count of felony criminal trespass to a residence.
The burglaries went unreported until items of girls’ clothing were recovered during a search of Paxton’s home, police said. Investigators say Paxton entered the attached garage of the home on Westlawn Avenue about May 6 and the home on Central Avenue on March 22, stealing several items of girls’ clothing from both locations. Both homes were unsecured, authorities said.
Paxton also is accused of entering a home about May 3 on the 300 block of South Central Avenue, which he knew to be occupied by three adults, ages 54, 62 and 80, police said. Paxton watched the residents sleeping but did not take anything and fled when a dog in the home began barking.
Police said Wednesday they do not yet know if Paxton has had any inappropriate contact with children through his volunteer work at Hesed House in Aurora or his job at the Heritage YMCA, which assigned him to Freeman Elementary School in Aurora and Longwood Elementary School near Naperville for before- and after-school programs.
Paxton is being held at the Kane County jail in lieu of bond after his bail was set Wednesday at $260,000. Paxton is due in Kane County court May 30 in front of Judge James Hallock.