Accused Moon Prowler Waives Hearing as Victims Ready to Testify

A man who police said peered into the windows of women's apartments to watch them undress has waived his right to a preliminary hearing. 

Brian Williams, 38, of Greenville, Mercer County, appeared Tuesday in Coraopolis District Court with his wife and several family members at his side to waive the hearing.

said Williams admitted in March to traveling to Moon to watch women from outside their windows and masturbate as they disrobed. 

Seven women, who lined one side of the Coraopolis courtroom, were prepared to testify against Williams, whose own family members sat in an adjacent corner, his wife looking on.

Williams sat expressionless next to his attorney while agreeing to waive the hearing. 

He is with multiple counts of loitering and nighttime prowling and invasion of privacy in connection to the incidents, which police said span more than six months. A charge of defiant trespass, a summary offense, was withdrawn and a charge of stalking was dropped in favor of summary harassment.

A formal arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 4.  

Officer Joseph Brace said Williams admitted on the night of his arrest that he had been traveling to Moon Township for more than six months and prowling outside of windows to watch young women undress at the Waterford Landing and Polo Club apartment complexes. 

Brace said similar complaints of peeping toms in the township date back to 2003, and Williams said in a statement that he had been doing it "for years." A total of eight women are named as victims in the complaint against Williams. 

After receiving a high volume of complaints about a man lurking outside Waterford Landing, police installed cameras to surveil the area. Moon Sgt. Jeffrey Smith, who was conducting a foot patrol, found the man standing outside of a woman's window on the night of March 26. Williams was carrying personal lubricant in his pocket when he was taken into custody. 

Brace said it is unclear why Williams targeted women the and Waterford Landing apartments or why he made the 70-mile trip from Greenville to Moon. Williams told police only that his father-in-law used to live in Moon Township and that he has flown from the airport, Brace said. 

He said Williams did not attempt to contact or approach any of the women involved and had no apparent connection to them, many of whom had no idea they were being watched from outside. Some of the victims reported hearing their apartment door knobs move, though Brace said police could not determine whether that had any connection to Williams. 

Williams has no prior criminal history and Greenville Police have no record of recent peeping tom or nighttime prowling complaints, said Greenville Chief Dennis Stephens. 

In the months leading to his arrest, police photographed footprints left in the snow outside of the apartments, and some women called to report seeing a figure outside of their window.

Williams declined to comment outside of court. 

"No, I really can't," he said. "I'm sorry."