What to Know
- Police said they found more than 60 images of women and girls on the phone of a man accused of drilling holes in Target dressing rooms.
- Sean Anderson was arrested in May and charged with criminal mischief. He is now charged with child pornography and other related offenses.
- Anderson was released on bail on the initial charge in May. There is now a warrant out for his arrest in relation to the new charges.
A Pennsylvania man accused of drilling holes inside changing rooms at Target stores last month now faces additional charges, including child pornography, after police found more than 60 images of women and underage girls on his phone, investigators said.
Sean Anderson, of Elverson, was arrested on May 15 after he allegedly drilled holes in multiple changing rooms at the Target on 100 Upland Square Drive in West Pottsgrove Township.
A loss prevention officer at the store was aware that someone had been drilling holes in Target changing rooms and had a description of the suspect, according to the police affidavit. In fact, on May 4, employees had noticed holes in the changing room of that exact same Target and had caulked them over.
On May 9, the loss prevention officer noticed Anderson going in and out of dressing, which prompted her to check on the previous holes, the affidavit said. After noticing that the holes had been re-drilled, she called police.
The responding officer noticed multiple holes in different changing rooms and saw that one of the holes had gray foam inside, the affidavit said. The officer detained Anderson and, after walking him to his police vehicle, checked the area where Anderson had been standing.
There, the officer allegedly found a drill bit, wooden block and tweezers tucked inside the pocket of a pair of sweatpants that were on a rack. After searching Anderson, the officer said he also found a piece of foam that matched the foam inside one of the changing room holes.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Investigators also determined Anderson had drilled holes in other Target changing rooms throughout Montgomery County, police said.
On Monday, police revealed they searched through Anderson's phone and found 56 images of women, 12 of whom were topless and one who was completely naked. They also found six images of young girls who were either partially or totally undressed, investigators said.
In addition to the Target stores in Montgomery County, police are also investigating similar cases in Chester County, including a Target in Malvern where holes were driven in the dressing room back in May.
Anderson posted bail in May after being charged with misdemeanor possession of an instrument of crime and criminal mischief for causing an estimated $1,250 in damage. He is now charged with more than 70 offenses, including multiple counts of child pornography, invasion of privacy and sexual abuse of a child.
The sexual abuse charge stems from the act of making child pornography and as of now there is no evidence that he assaulted a child physically, according to officials.
Anderson has not yet surrendered to police and there is an active warrant out for his arrest on the new charges.
A spokesperson for Target released the following statement to NBC10 in response to the allegations against Anderson.
At Target, we have no tolerance for this behavior in our stores. Last month, we discovered that fitting rooms had been tampered with in several Montgomery County stores. We immediately investigated the situation, engaged the West Pottsgrove Police and provided them with video and photos of the suspect. We appreciate the support of law enforcement and will continue to provide them with whatever we can to support their investigation.
