Sapulpa Police Arrest Convicted Sex Offender On New Peeping Tom Complaint

Police arrested a convicted sex offender who they say was looking into the windows of homes.

Investigators say Rodgell Howell has a long criminal history that goes back for decades in several states.

Police said Howell was spotted looking into windows in the area.

It started when Sapulpa Police say they got a call about a man yelling and threatening to fight people at the city golf course last month, but when officers got there they couldn't find him.

Eventually they spotted Howell a couple blocks away.

"They made contact with him but were not aware of his criminal history," Sapulpa Police Lieutenant Troy Foreman said.

Officers had nothing to arrest him on, so they let him go.

Later that night they got a call about someone matching Howell's description trespassing and roaming in the woods near someone's home on Sahoma Lake Road.

They couldn't find him there, but Sapulpa Police Lieutenant Troy Foreman says officers did some digging and found Howell's criminal record that starts in 1989 for first-degree robbery.

He has a long rap sheet sheet up to this year including sexual battery, assault with a deadly weapon, DUI, battery of a spouse and more.

Howell has convictions in California, Texas, Washington, Nevada, and Oklahoma.

Foreman says he also has a warrant out of Okmulgee for domestic assault and battery and public intoxication.

And another one in Tulsa for failing to resister as a sex offender.

Fast forward to this month -- Foreman says an officer recognized Howell and stopped him as he was in an alley walking up to a house.

"Got out before he could do anything, who knows what he was going to do. Maybe look in a window, or peeping Tom again," Foreman said.

Foreman says they're glad he's off the streets now.

Howell's facing charges of violating the sexual offender act, and having drug paraphernalia.