AMMON, Idaho — An Idaho man who identifies as a woman was arrested on Tuesday after he allegedly recorded video footage of a teenager trying on a swimsuit in a Target fitting room.
Sean Patrick Smith, 46, who goes by Shauna Patricia Smith, was taken into custody and charged with one felony count of voyeurism following the incident.
According to reports, the 18-year-old was trying on a swimsuit in the Ammon store’s unisex fitting room on Monday when she noticed someone holding a phone over the separator.
“The woman was begging for help as she chased the man out the door,” a witness told East Idaho News. “She kept saying she wanted those pictures deleted.”
The girl’s mother confronted Smith, who was wearing a dress and wig, but he fled the scene.
The following day, police tracked Smith to his home, where he was questioned. Documents composed by investigators outline that “the defendant eventually admitted … that she had made videos in the past of women undressing.”
“The defendant told [the detective] that she makes these videos for the ‘same reason men go online to look at pornography,’” police noted, adding that Smith said that he finds the footage to be “sexually gratifying.”
Law enforcement did find video footage of the teenager trying on the swimsuit on Smith’s phone.
Smith was booked as a male in the Booneville County Jail, where he is being held on $30,000 bond. Police are investigating whether there are indeed other victims who have been recorded by Smith.
Video footage of Smith’s court appearance on Wednesday obtained by East Idaho News shows the suspect listening as a judge reads the accusation that Smith recorded the teenager “without her knowledge or consent with the intent of arousing or appealing to or gratifying your lusts or passions or sexual desires.”
Smith has been appointed a public defender and has been ordered not to have any contact with the victim.
As previously reported, in April, Target outlined its company policy on restroom and fitting room use following controversy over the “bathroom bills” passed in North Carolina and Mississippi.
“In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity,” the announcement said.
The revelation drew both applause and criticism, and some vowed to discontinue shopping at Target until it changed its policy. The Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA) soon also launched an official pledge campaign to boycott Target, which resulted in over a million signatures.
But CEO Brian Cornell defended the company’s policy, stating, “[W]e’re going to continue to embrace our belief of diversity and inclusion—just how important that is to our company.”
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