Mystery man probing Bishop Arts District homes, allegedly following a woman with children
DALLAS — A homeowner in the Bishop Arts District had a run-in with a man that's creepier than a big crime story. Still, the incident starts on the doorsteps of a townhome not far from West Davis Street.
"We were asleep at the time," the homeowner said.
CBS News Texas agreed to withhold the man's identity because he has safety concerns. But he posted security system images from May 7.
According to the time stamp of the footage, an unknown man came on the porch of a home he shares with his partner and sister at 4:25 a.m.
"Never seen this guy before," he said. "I did see on a Next Door app posting that I posted that other people in the neighborhood had seen him, and some people and some people did recognize him."
The homeowner did not know the man had rummaged through plants, went into his mailbox, sat down on his porch, and smoked a cigarette as he sat for hours.
He said his household became aware of the uninvited visitor after 8 a.m. when they got an alert on the system. They were watching the man peer in through the fence. Then, a search through the video revealed all the other activities.
They called Dallas Police.
According to the Bishop Arts District resident, the man went to a neighboring property before heading to West Davis Street. Trying to keep an eye on him, the homeowner followed him. He said the man sat outside of business until spotting a woman walking with two children.
"A young woman and her family were crossing the street, and he started going after them," he said.
He said the woman ducked into Berkley's Oakcliff to wait it out. The homeowner, who was in his vehicle, parked across the street to monitor the activity. He said the woman, who had a child in a stroller and one by her side, came out of the store 15 minutes later.
But the unknown man ran into her on another street.
"And he was still standing there, came up to her again, this time a little bit more aggressively," he said.
The homeowner said he drove over, pretended to know the woman and began checking the situation more closely.
"Is everything alright?" he said.
He said she responded that things were not ok and used his vehicle to place distance between her, the kids, and the unknown man.
"I ended up telling the guy to move along and don't look back pretty forcefully," he said.
The man left before police arrived. Dallas Police said that after they received a response to the call for a prowler, no one was found.
The homeowner said the response time was slow. DPD did not comment on his accusation.
"Something dangerous could have happened to that young woman," the homeowner said. "I don't even want to think about, you know, what could have happened."
