Editing James Paap (section)

== Criminal history ==

=== First voyeurism arrest ===
On 17 July 1998, Paap entered the rear service alley of a motel in Barstow and watched a female motel guest through the bathroom window of her rented room. He stood on a folding step stool, used a flashlight to look through a gap in the curtain and remained there until the guest saw him at the window. Police arrested him nearby with the stool and flashlight. He was charged with voyeurism and later released after the case did not continue beyond the initial charge.

=== Second voyeurism arrest ===
On 3 September 2003, Paap entered an apartment complex in San Bernardino and watched two adult female residents through windows facing the shared laundry area. He first looked through a bedroom window, then moved behind a storage shed and watched another resident through a bathroom window. One of the residents saw him outside and contacted police. Officers detained him on the property. He was arrested for voyeurism and later released after the case was dropped.

=== Third voyeurism arrest ===
On 22 May 2011, Paap went to a trailer park near Lancaster and used an improvised ladder to watch an adult female resident through the bathroom window of her trailer. While attempting to leave, he fell from the ladder beside the trailer and injured his arm before fleeing the area. He had written down trailer numbers before the incident and kept binoculars and work gloves at his shack. Police arrested him after the resident identified the window where he had been standing. He was held for 48 hours and released after prosecutors declined to continue the case.

=== Fourth voyeurism arrest ===
On 9 December 2019, Paap stood outside the rear window of a short-term rental in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and watched a female tenant inside the room while holding a mobile phone. The tenant saw him outside the window and called police. Paap left the property and was arrested two blocks away. He was released after the phone search did not produce evidence for a felony case.

=== Gas station robbery ===
On 13 February 2025, Paap robbed a gas station in Sun Valley, Los Angeles. He entered the store shortly before closing, pointed a revolver at the clerk and ordered him to open the cash register. He took cash, cigarettes and prepaid cards before leaving through the side exit. Police identified Paap from exterior surveillance footage, shoe prints near the exit and stolen items later found at his shack.

Paap was arrested two days later outside Lancaster. In October 2025, he was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 15 years in prison.