A man has been charged with using hidden pen cameras to record unsuspecting victims, including teens, while they were changing in two separate stores at the King of Prussia Mall.
Smyrna, Delaware, resident Joseph Stevenson, 26, was charged with numerous counts of invasion of privacy, disorderly conduct and interception, disclosure or use of wire communications.
The investigation began July 3, when a 14-year-old girl found a hidden pen camera in the dressing room of a Hollister store at the King of Prussia Mall, Upper Merion Township Police Department Lt. Paul Cooper said. The girl turned the camera over to management.
Stevenson returned later to try and claim the camera, but employees refused to give it back, according to court documents. He left, but not before purchasing something with his store loyalty card, which police used to track Stevenson after store management had contacted them, the court documents show.
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Police found images of seven people – six female and one male – in various stages of undress on the camera, Cooper said. All victims have been identified and notified of the investigation.
During the investigation, police identified a person of interest and learned the man had also been inside an Urban Outfitters store. Management there told police that an employee had found another pen camera while checking the fitting rooms.
That camera contained images of two females. Police are trying the identify the pair, who were inside the Urban Outfitters between 2:20 p.m. and 2:55 p.m. on July 3, Cooper said.
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Court documents indicate the majority of the victims were teen girls, with the youngest being 13. Victims also include a 17-year-old boy a 29-year-old woman, according to the court documents.
Police don’t think images of any of the victims were disseminated.
Stevenson was released on $10,000 bail. He was ordered to refrain from going to malls and to stay away from the victims or their families.
Lee Cicarrelli, a lawyer representing Stevenson, said his firm is reviewing the charges and is "intent on well representing" him and his interests "in a just fashion and in a way that is fair for all parties concerned."
