Crime & Safety

Plumstead Man Accused Of Peeping Into Bedroom Window Identified As NJ School Employee

Police have charged the man with loitering and prowling, a third-degree misdemeanor, and summary harassment.

PLUMSTEAD TOWNSHIP, PA — A man charged with peeping into a neighbor's bedroom window in Plumstead Township has been identified as an athletic director in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District in New Jersey.

Officers from the Plumstead Township Police Department were dispatched to Split Log Drive in the Cabin Run development at approximately 10:41 p.m. on Aug. 6 for a report of a man peering into a young female's bedroom window, according to the department.

The homeowner's video surveillance captured the incident, which led police to identify the man as a Cabin Run resident and neighbor of the complainant, police said. He was charged with loitering and prowling, a third-degree misdemeanor, and summary harassment.

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A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8, before Judge Gambardella in Ottsville.

According to court records, the man charged is Winfield A. "Tripp" Becker, 48, of Pipersville, who is employed as an athletic director with the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. District records show Becker has served as athletic director for grades 6 through 12 and as supervisor of wellness since at least 2015.

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Hopewell Valley Regional Superintendent Rosetta Treece notified district families of the charges in a letter, without naming Becker by name, according to a letter obtained by The Trentonian. "The allegations against this individual do not involve conduct within the district and are not related to any district students," Treece wrote.

In an interview with MercerMe, Treece said the district learned of the matter when Becker self-reported, as required under board policy. "He let us know right away because that's our board policy," Treece said, adding that Becker "followed all the proper protocol" in notifying officials.

Treece said the employee has been placed on administrative leave in line with district policy. She also noted that the matter is unrelated to his work in the district and is being handled solely by Pennsylvania law enforcement.

Sarah Salvadore, editor of the Lawrenceville, N.J., Patch contributed to this story.

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