Underwear 'Experiment' Leads To Charges For Naperville Man

NAPERVILLE, IL — A 67-year-old Naperville man is accused of leaving women's underwear along the Illinois Prairie Path, adjacent to a forest preserve in DuPage County, according to forest preserve police reports. William V. Winnie, of the 1100 block of Greensfield Drive, told police it was for an "experiment." He is charged with obscenity, disorderly conduct and littering. Winnie was arrested Dec. 2 in Pratt's Wayne Woods, reports said.

Reports had been coming in since October from people who had seen the underwear along the Prairie Path near the preserve. Police set up a trail camera near the second bridge to the southeast off Dunham Road. On Oct. 16, forest preserve police found a pair of underwear in a resealable plastic bag about 15 feet off the Prairie Path, accompanied with a photo of a celebrity at a beach. Handwriting on the back of the photo included the words "Is she not as gorgeous a woman as you will ever see? [...] Enjoy." Police took a photo and left the items there in attempt to lure the suspect back.

The next day, officers checked out the footage, which revealed photos of a man coming into contact with the photo and underwear. Police took in similar reports in the following weeks, some of stained underwear, and in at least one case, what appeared to be girls' underwear, according to reports.

In mid-November, police reviewed footage from the previous month that showed an older man, who appeared to be smiling, leaning over the fence to see the underwear. He left, going towards the same direction from which he came. In another instance, the subject appeared to be pleasuring himself for four minutes in the middle of the path, the report says.

During surveillance on Dec. 2, two officers said they caught Winnie riding his bike up to the site by the bridge and picking up the pair of underwear. The officers stopped the suspect, who cooperated. Winnie told them he regularly finds women's underwear hanging from trees along the path, collects them, takes them home, puts them in a resealable plastic bag, then re-deposits them along the trail, police said.

Winnie said he was aware of the photos, but didn't know where they came from, according to the report. Later, in custody at the DuPage County Jail, Winnie admitted it was him who was captured on the trail camera, the report said. In a statement summary, Winnie said he started collecting the underwear about a year ago. He also mentioned he's an avid bicyclist, and that his wife at home doesn't look through his bicycling equipment. The report said that when asked about the masturbation, he claims he was warming his hands.

The next day, Winnie came into district headquarters where he retrieved his belongings. In a report, police asked Winnie if they could question him again, and his story changed. This time, police said he claimed he had been collecting the clothing since 2013. In total, he's collected 20 to 30 pairs for an "experiment," and wanted to see where it would go.

Winnie does not have any criminal records in DuPage County, and claimed he didn't know anything about the photos placed with the clothing, police said. He was released on bond and is awaiting his day in court Jan. 8.

Photo via DuPage County Jail