Police: Man Arrested For Indecent Exposure, Window Peeking Spree
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- -- A 33-year-old IT student at St. Cloud State University was in jail Tuesday night, accused of secretly taking pictures and videos of women.
Police arrested Kevin Petroske for peeping through a stranger's window last month. They say a search of his phone showed a half dozen more victims near campus.
It was a call from an alert student who witnessed a man staring into a window possibly videotaping someone that tipped off police.
According to the criminal complaint, when officers arrived in the 500 block of Sixth Avenue South they noticed the 33-year-old Petroske, holding a cell phone in his hand.
"Peering through windows and using his cellphone to video tape young ladies in all sorts of undress," said Lt. James Steve with St. Cloud Police.
He says the officers watched Petroske for about a minute, and when he noticed them he tried to walk away, pretending to be texting on his phone.
When they discovered a woman was inside that bedroom with a bathrobe on, they took him into custody.
St. Cloud Police obtained a search warrant for Petroske's phone and home where he lived. It was on that cell phone that they found 25 different videotapes that victimized six different women.
Police are concerned more women may have been victimized by Petroske.
"The sad thing is the victim's probably don't even know they were being looked upon from the outside," Steve said.
St. Cloud State University is assisting police with the investigation.
The university is providing services for the women who police identified on Petroske's phone.
The incident has many who live near campus on guard.
"It creeps me out, because I live in an apartment right down the road," said St. Cloud State student Laura Hindzen.
Police say there are some things you can do to protect yourself.
"Shut your shades, lock your doors lock your window, anything suspicious make sure you report it," Steve said.
St. Cloud State University confirmed Petroske is a registered student.
Investigators do not believe he knew his victims.
Prosecutors have until noon Thursday to charge him for the pictures and video police say they found on his phone.