Howard Police link peeping tom suspect to 2020 Old Navy incident

An Owings Mills man was indicted last month on peeping tom, visual surveillance, theft and computer crime charges.

An Owings Mill man, indicted on 68 charges of illegally recording videos of women in Howard County and illegally accessing private patient media at his workplace, has also been linked to a March 2020 peeping tom incident, according to Howard County Police Department charging documents.

Delano Draine, 43, was indicted last month on peeping tom, visual surveillance, theft and computer crime charges, according to a Howard County police news release. Draine, who allegedly recorded upskirt and dressing room videos of at least 11 women in Howard County, was found to fit the description of a suspect in a March 2020 peeping tom incident in an Old Navy in the police’s investigation, according to charging documents.

Draine also faces charges for allegedly capturing cell phone passcodes for coworkers and patients while he worked as a dental assistant. At least 37 women have been notified that Draine lifted their photos and videos after going through their phones, according to Howard County police.

In Maryland, it is illegal to conduct visual surveillance of someone in a private place without their consent, according to state law. This includes using cameras, mirrors, or other electronic devices. Dressing rooms and restrooms are considered private places.

Warren A. Brown, the attorney representing Draine, said he intends to have Draine evaluated for mental health issues and possibly moved to a mental health care facility. Draine’s actions were “outside the realm of conduct” that people are “accustomed to,” Brown said.

“Locking people up for issues that are mental health related without any services, I mean that’s cruel and unusual and inhumane,” Brown said.

Police originally identified Draine as a suspect after a 16-year-old girl reported seeing someone hold a cell phone over her dressing room door in an Aeropostale at The Mall in Columbia last December. She opened the dressing room door to find a man, who immediately left the store. The girl then alerted her aunt, who followed the suspect out of the store and recorded the confrontation, according to charging documents.

The suspect attempted to hide his face and quickly fled the scene. Police used mall security footage and the confrontation video in comparison with his driver’s license image to identify Draine.

Upon a search of Draine’s house, police said they found matching clothing to what the suspect wore in the reported incident. Draine admitted to being at The Mall in Columbia weeks before and led detectives to his cell phone, which was concealed in a shoebox on the top shelf inside his mother’s bedroom closet, according to charging documents.

A review of the materials on Draine’s phone showed several videos of women filmed from behind as they walked in a shopping mall and footage from inside changing rooms in a store; videos were recorded from below openings in changing room doors, capturing women in various states of undress, police charging documents state.

Draine also faces theft and computer crime charges. Computer illegal access charges date back to March 9, 2023, according to indictment documents.

Anyone with information in this case can contact Howard County police at 410-313-STOP or HCPDCrimeTips@howardcountymd.gov.