Wesley Cox

BOULDER POLICE DEPT

Images of stolen underwear from the Boulder Police web site.

BOULDER POLICE DEPT

Images of stolen underwear from the Boulder Police web site.

BOULDER POLICE DEPT

Images of stolen underwear from the Boulder Police web site.

Boulder police are asking for the public’s help to identify the owners of several dozen pairs of women’s underwear and other clothing that detectives say were stolen by a suspected voyeur.

The underwear — of the thong, frilly and plain white varieties — was recovered by police after detectives searched the home of Wesley Francis Cox on Nov. 20.

Cox, 44, was arrested on Halloween night after he was caught videotaping a Boulder couple having sex inside a home in the 1500 block of 48th Street. He was held down until officers arrived by two neighbors who saw him videotaping the couple through a window, police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said.

She said Cox tried to erase the videotape while he was being restrained by the neighbors, but the good Samaritans were able to wrangle away the camera.

According to an arrest report, Cox was found carrying a police radio-frequency scanner, a flashlight, a digital video camera and was wearing a microphone inside his jacket.

Cox was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing, unlawful sexual contact and invasion of privacy, Huntley said. More charges are possible, police said.

He bonded out of the Boulder County Jail, Huntley said, but was arrested again Nov. 15 after police obtained a search warrant to review the videotape.

The video contains images of two couples having sex, and three women getting dressed or stepping out of showers, Huntley said. It also shows Cox in the bedrooms of two women — who apparently weren’t home — masturbating with their garments.

“It’s pretty invasive video,” Huntley said.

There is no evidence that any of the video Cox is accused of filming made its way onto the Internet, she said, though detectives have confiscated three computers from the man’s house and are searching through them for evidence.

Police also obtained a search warrant for Cox’s home at 1505 48th St. in Boulder, where they recovered women’s underwear and other clothing.

“His ‘M.O.’ appears to be that he breaks into homes, steals underwear, becomes fixated on the woman and returns to videotape them,” Huntley said.

The clothing includes about 10 pieces from Boulder High School cheerleader outfits, some marked with the initials of the owner. Other recovered items include at least 25 panties, 23 bras, 20 thongs and five swim-suit pieces.

According to an arrest affidavit, Cox was previously arrested in Broomfield on Oct. 23, 2006, though Huntley did not know what charges he faced then and officials at the Broomfield Combined Courts said they could not immediately disclose his court history.

During that arrest, officers reported finding Cox wearing women’s bras, according to the affidavit. He also was found to have women’s underwear in his car, along with a video camera that contained images of windows at night and women walking home.

Huntley said the man has been a suspect in similar incidents in the past, though records with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation show Cox has no other arrest history.

Huntley said detectives hope the rightful owners of the recently recovered undergarments will recognize their property, so police can notify victims and possibly connect Cox with other incidents of prowling, burglaries or break-ins.

Cox remains free after posting $10,000 bond on Nov. 16, officials said. He is due back in court Tuesday.

Messages left Wednesday at a phone listing for Cox were not returned.

To view pictures of all the confiscated underwear, visit the Boulder police Website here.