UCSC ‘peeping tom’ suspect had history of similar crimes, court records show

A recent UC Santa Cruz graduate who is accused of stealing clothes and recording multiple students in campus dorms and in showers earlier this year previously pleaded guilty to similar crimes at an on-campus residence about two years ago.

Police charged Tony Pau, 21, of Daly City, with four counts of “peeping tom” – violations of the voyeurism law – and one count each of burglary and grand theft, according to a UCSC news release sent via email to campus. UCSC officers arrested him at his home on June 12 and he was booked into San Mateo County Jail. He posted bail June 20.  

Police say he was charged in connection with multiple incidents on Feb. 11 and March 4. Pau started at UCSC in 2021 and graduated in March this year with a degree in computer game design, the university confirmed.

Earlier this month, two UCSC students who were living on the fourth floor of John R. Lewis College Building 4 this past year told Lookout they had their clothes stolen and saw an iPhone camera recording them while they showered in January and in May. At least two other students on the same floor of the same building reported similar incidents this year, in February and March.

The students told Lookout they believed the same individual was responsible for all the offenses. They accused the university of failing to adequately address the lack of barriers for someone to enter their bathroom and commit the crimes, compared to other bathrooms on campus. 

Police say they believe Pau was involved in the most recent incident, reported May 31, but charges have not been filed yet related to that case, court records show. 

The student who reported the May 31 incident told Lookout on Wednesday that she’s “so relieved” a suspect was caught and charged. 

She said while showering just before 5 p.m. that day, she saw an iPhone camera being held above the shower stall facing directly at her. She immediately screamed, grabbed her towel and attempted to chase the individual but didn’t find them. 

She added she still thinks the university needs “to be held accountable” for not making adequate changes to the dorm bathroom’s security between the first report in January, the second incident in February, the third in March and finally her report. She requested anonymity, citing concern for her safety. 

“The fight isn’t over even though he was caught,” she said, adding that justice will be reached when the building and bathrooms are safer for students. 

In the complaint against Pau, he’s accused of burglary on Feb. 11 for entering a building with intent to commit larceny and any felony, according to court records. On the same day, police say he took a victim’s iPhone, Apple Pro AirPods, tan cargo pants, prescription eye glasses and a black bra. 

Pau is also accused of unauthorized invasion of privacy on Feb. 11 for unlawfully recording a different victim while they were fully or partially undressed. Court records show he was later accused of filming two more victims in separate incidents on March 4 while the victims were fully or partially undressed. 

The complaints for the Feb. 11 and March 4 incidents don’t specify where they took place. 

UCSC police say they’re still investigating a sexual battery incident reported March 7 at College Nine/John R. Lewis College. Officials wouldn’t say if they believed Pau was linked to that case: “We will not discuss ongoing, open investigations.”

“We are also continuing to investigate all other incidents and do not have anything further to share at this time,” they wrote to Lookout. 

Pau was previously accused of burglary for entering a campus building and taking the personal items of two victims on April 9, 2023, according to court records. 

He pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2023, to a lesser charge of entering a dwelling. He was ordered to stay away from the victims and pay $1,100 and $1,180 in restitution for stealing clothing and items like a backpack. One of the victims listed items like a Victoria’s Secret bra worth $150, “all of the dresses I owned” for $200 and “all of my pants” for another $200.

Court records also show Pau was restricted from going to The Village housing, located on the east side of campus. He was sentenced to five days in jail and was on probation until Dec. 15, 2024. 

UCSC spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason declined to confirm whether Pau had been banned or was otherwise restricted in where he could go on the campus. 

“Federal student privacy laws and university policies prevent us from providing information about individual students,” he wrote via email. 

Court records show Pau was also convicted of using a concealed camera to record in San Mateo County in May. He was ordered to serve one year probation starting May 21, 10 days before the May 31 incident on UCSC campus, and was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail starting in July. Burglary charges were dropped.

UCSC Police Chief Kevin Domby said in a statement that the suspect was detained “through the dedicated work of UC Santa Cruz Police Department officers, detectives, and with assistance from allied agencies.” 

A LinkedIn profile for Pau lists him as a “digital artist and photographer hobbyist” looking for jobs in the game industry. 

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