Brighton residents relieved after "peeping Tom" suspect arrested
BOSTON - A Brighton man is being held on $5,000 cash bail, an accused peeping Tom who fainted during his arraignment in Brighton District Court as details of the case against him were being read. Francis Gomez, 36, was arrested Wednesday night after police say frightened residents reported him lurking in their Brighton neighborhoods.
"Just feeling pretty anxious and on edge," said resident Carolyn Patterson. Some of that anxiousness now relieved for Patterson and her roommates who have been locking windows and shutting blinds every night.
In the early hours of March 17 police say Gomez was seen staring into windows on Donnybrook Road, one resident frantic when she heard the doorknob jiggle. "She immediately got onto the floor terrified of being seen by the suspect, but she could hear him quietly on her porch and turning the doorknob to her front door," said prosecutor Margaret Hegarty.
Also, on Beechcroft Street in Brighton that same morning, a resident saw someone shining a flashlight, and police found a chair beneath a first-floor window. Police say Gomez was always wearing a grey hoodie and targeting females.
"Definitely very relieved. My roommates and I have been pretty worried this past week," said Carolyn Patterson.
Police say Gomez has a history of breaking and entering and trespassing. He was arrested previously in June of 2022 when they say he got inside a Gardena St. home. Helen Driscoll was awoken by the sound of her roommate chasing Gomez. "I still don't understand how he got in and how long he was in here," said Driscoll. "He just wanted to be in our house and residence while we were sleeping. It's something I can never understand."
Gomez is now being held on $5,000 bail and is ordered to stay away from the homes.