A district judge has ordered a convicted peeping Tom, who is a retired police officer and a child care provider, to stay away from a neighbor who claims he peered into his home late one night.
Retired Honolulu police Lt. Craig Clissold agreed Sept. 15 to a three-year injunction that prohibits him from entering or visiting neighbor Robert Tinsley’s Kalanipuu Street home, yard, garage or workplace. It also prohibits him from contacting, threatening or harassing Tinsley.
Tinsley said that on Sept. 3 at 11:03 p.m., he was alone in his living room watching television when he saw a large man looking into his window. He said he waited three minutes, turned the television off, then headed for the front door and saw Clissold running from his yard through the driveway and darting across the street to his own house.
"Thank God my wife wasn’t there," he said. "She’s just scared to be in the house. It’s not home anymore."
Tinsley said after responding officers discovered Clissold was a retired police officer, they treated him differently.
"He said, ‘I was just looking for my cat,’" Tinsley said.
Officers then demanded Tinsley provide his Social Security number, and told him he could try to get a temporary restraining order.
"Meanwhile, they were not going to arrest him," he said. "At that point, I hit the roof and told the police officers to leave the property. My wife was crying."
Tinsley said his neighbors have told him they have seen Clissold in his yard late at night on at least four occasions over a four-month period.
Clissold has not responded to the Star-Advertiser’s telephone calls.
Tinsley said he is concerned that Clissold and his wife run a child care business out of their home.
Department of Human Services Director Pat McManaman said Friday the department will be investigating the civil injunction order because the situation may involve the health and safety of the children.
In 2001, Clissold pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor invasion of privacy charge in connection with a July 31, 2001, peeping Tom incident involving a woman who lived seven doors away. The woman, a flight attendant, reported hearing noises in her backyard at 1 a.m.
Police found Clissold walking briskly back to his home. He claimed to be taking a late walk and said he was just relieving himself.
His attorney at the time said he had been diagnosed with an adjustment disorder.
The judge deferred a 30-day jail sentence, allowing Clissold’s record to be wiped clean of the crime after staying out of trouble for a year. The judge sentenced him to 200 hours of community service, and ordered a mental health assessment.
Clissold voluntarily agreed to have his child care license suspended in November 2001 because of his no-contest plea, said Wilfredo Tungol, a projects specialist with the state Department of Human Services.
He was allowed to have his license back in early 2002.
The department’s Child Care Licensing Unit performs annual criminal history checks on licensees, Tungol said.
Police conducted an Internal Affairs investigation in 2001, but the results are not made public because it is a personnel matter, said Michelle Yu, HPD spokeswoman. Clissold had been reassigned to nonpatrol duties during the internal investigation. He retired in 2002 with 30 years of service.
