A man is confronting serious legal troubles after reportedly filming a minor as she attempted to try on clothing.
A daring incident unfolded on Tuesday at the Salvation Army Van Horn in Trenton.
“It’s disgusting, really. It’s uncalled for,” said Nichola Freeland.
Nichola, a patron of the Salvation Army, is shocked to learn that a 14-year-old girl was targeted by a man who recorded her in the fitting room while she was changing.
“You just have to be on alert all the time. But like kids, they don’t know better, they’re just having the time of their life. And then all of a sudden, there’s somebody taking advantage of it, which is horrible,” Nichola added.
Trenton Police Chief Mike Hawkins emphasised that locating the suspect, identified as 32-year-old Eric Theodore Williams, is of utmost importance.
“It’s a serious crime, and it’s against children. It’s a creepy situation, obviously,” said Chief Hawkins.
After being spotted by employees, Williams fled in a vehicle that authorities would later discover abandoned down the street. Following a swift search through the nearby underbrush, law enforcement located Williams and apprehended him.
“What I like to think is that our officers go above and beyond. We’ll do everything we can to make sure that we protect our residents and anybody visiting the city of Trenton,” Hawkins said.
Williams is currently confronted with multiple charges, including the use of a computer for criminal activities, which carries a potential sentence of 2 to 4 years, as well as the offence of surveilling an unclothed individual, classified as a 2-year felony.
“It’s very disturbing,” Hawkins said. “You sit there and at night, you think, wow, you’re going to hold on a little bit tighter to the young ones, because there are some definite people out there that mean harm to kids, and we’re going to do our best to bring them to justice,” Hawkins said.
“I will be more aware of when I’m going to the fitting rooms, that’s for sure,” said Sandi Cuthbert.
Williams has been issued a cash bond set at $100,000.
