Elverson man accused of spying on females at Montco Target
A Chester County man accused last month of drilling holes in the dressing rooms of a Target store in West Pottsgrove now faces child pornography-related charges after images found on his cellphone depicted underage girls in various stages of undress, according to authorities.
Sean Christopher Anderson, 41, of the 300 block of Hedge Road, Elverson, originally charged with criminal mischief and possessing an instrument of crime, saw charges upgraded last week to include invasion of privacy and possessing child pornography, according to court records.
Anderson will face a preliminary hearing on the charges before District Court Judge Scott T. Palladino at a later date.
An inspection of Anderson’s cellphone uncovered 56 images of females that appeared to be taken through a hole similar to the holes found in the fitting rooms at the Target Store in the Upland Square Shopping Center in West Pottsgrove, according to a criminal complaint filed by West Pottsgrove police.
“Upon viewing these images I found each of them had a circular shadow to them, appearing as if you were looking through a tunnel or hole similar to the holes found in the fitting rooms,” West Pottsgrove Police Officer Robert Radswillas wrote in the criminal complaint.
Of the 56 images, 24 depicted women with their underwear exposed, five images depicted women with their bra exposed and nine images depicted women wearing only a bra and underwear, according to the arrest affidavit.
Twelve women were topless, two were naked from the waist down and one was completely naked, police alleged.
“The age of these women varied but all appeared to be adults,” Radswillas alleged.
Six images on Anderson’s phone were female juveniles – three in underwear, two with their breasts exposed and one juvenile was completely nude, according to the criminal complaint.
The investigation began May 9, when township police were dispatched to the store on Upland Square Drive for a report of suspicious activity. A loss prevention officer with the store reported that a man was drilling holes in the fitting room walls.
Employees first noticed holes in the fitting rooms on May 4 but were able to repair them with caulk, according to court papers.
The loss prevention officer told police that she had checked the fitting rooms earlier in the day on May 9 and saw that the holes were still covered. After observing a man go in and out of the fitting rooms several times, the loss prevention officer checked the rooms again and found the holes had been reopened, according to the arrest affidavit.
When police arrived, the loss prevention officer pointed out the male seen going in and out of the fitting room and directed officers to the holes in the walls.
“The holes in the walls were approximately 18 inches from the floor,” Radswillas alleged. “I also viewed a small amount of debris on the floor directly under the drill holes, which was consistent with the amount of debris that would be there if someone recently drilled the same size hole, which I viewed in the wall.”
Police subsequently found the suspect, later identified as Anderson, in the men’s clothing department, court papers indicate. Police found a drill bit, wooden block and tweezers hidden in the pocket of a pair of sweatpants hanging on a rack near where Anderson was standing, according to court documents.
The drill bit, police alleged, was the same diameter as the holes found in the walls.
An estimated cost for repairs was $1,250 for all four walls.
At that time, authorities seized Anderson’s cellphone and subsequently obtained a warrant to search its contents.
“It is in my training and experience as a police officer that someone drilling holes into a fitting room wall is using those holes to view unsuspecting victims in various stages of undress. These types of people commonly do such acts for self-gratification,” Radswillas alleged in the arrest affidavit.