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MOUNTAIN GREEN, Morgan County — Homeowners in the Cottonwoods subdivision tend to have more run-ins with wildlife than prowlers, at least that's the assumption Holly made early on the morning of Feb. 8.
"I heard rustling. I thought it was an animal," recounted Holly, who asked that only her first name be used. "I heard scratching up against the side of my house, so I turned out my light and opened the blinds to look."
Instead of a furry critter, she saw what looked like the light from a cellphone.
"I could hear crunching in the snow, so I continued to watch until he came around the corner, and he came into my vision," Holly explained. "I pounded on my window at him, and it was obvious he heard me because he took off running."
Holly filed a report with the Morgan County Sheriff's Department that morning. That was the only report deputies received of a peeping tom until April 8, when they believe the same man showed up just a few houses down the street. Marcy, who also only gave her first name, says her 13-year-old daughter made the frightening discovery as she was getting in the shower.
"She just happened to hear a tapping on the bathroom window," Marcy said. "She looked up and she could clearly see a phone in the window."
This window, however, sits about 12 feet high. She suspects the man was using a selfie stick to reach it.
"Really scared her. She came immediately to get me," Marci said.
Making matters worse, Marcy says it happened again two days ago. This time, the window was covered.
"It makes you wonder if he had come other times, where maybe she didn't notice," she said.
Morgan County deputies are increasing their watch on the neighborhood, hoping to catch the prowler.
"We're doing some extra patrolling down there," Morgan County Chief Deputy Kevin Edwards said. "We really have no pattern per se, and it's not a continual thing. It's a hit and miss."
