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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who police say has been following three children walking home from school for about a week-and-a-half has been arrested.
Nicholas Jacob Muenchow, 33, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Monday for investigation of three counts of voyeurism against a child under the age of 14, interfering with an arresting officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police say for over a week, Muenchow has been following three children — a 6-year-old boy and two girls, ages 10 and 12 — as they walked home from school. He spoke to one child when the child fell, according to a police booking affidavit. Police were first notified just before 6 p.m. Monday when the children made a 911 call in the area of 1700 S. Redwood Road.
"(Muenchow) followed the three juvenile victims home from school (Monday) and went to the windows of their residence and peered into each of them, including the bedroom window of one of the victims," the affidavit states." (He) has been actively following three juveniles home from school for multiple days and approached their residence when they knew no parents were home."
One of the children took a picture of Muenchow outside the window, police say.
"The three children, all siblings, saw Muenchow looking through their windows. One of the children called their father, who then called 9-1-1," police said in statement Monday.
When officers arrived at the scene, he repeatedly resisted arrest by pulling away from them, according to the affidavit.
Police say they are worried about Muenchow's escalating behavior. In October, he was arrested for investigation of lewdness after police said he exposed himself at Pioneer Park. According to a police booking affidavit filed for that case, officers noted at the time of his arrest, Muenchow "has been arrested 27 times" since May 2022.
In August, he was arrested in South Salt Lake and accused of following people to their cars and trying to get in, including one family with children, a booking affidavit states.
Police say Muenchow was also arrested in West Valley in 2022 and accused of following a woman into her office and making sexually suggestive comments.
According to Salt Lake County Jail records, Muenchow was most recently released from jail on May 18, but then failed to report to Adult Probation and Parole as required. On May 22, probation officers recommended that a warrant be issued for his arrest and that he be ordered to serve a year in jail for his prior convictions, while also noting that "Adult Probation and Parole does not feel that (Muenchow) is capable of completing supervision," according to their progress violation report.
The warrant was issued by a judge on May 24 and was active at the time of Muenchow's arrest on Monday.
