Man admits to ‘up skirting’ incident

A so-called “up skirting” incident has a North Coventry Township man facing court supervision and a ban from a Walmart store in West Norriton Township.

Elijah Tiller, 28, of the 800 block of East Schuylkill Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to two years of probation after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of invasion of privacy in connection with an August 2021 incident at the Walmart on South Trooper Road in West Norriton.

Judge Thomas M. DelRicci, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, also ordered Tiller to “stay away” from the Walmart and to have no contact with the female victim.

Tiller also must undergo a psychosexual evaluation and comply with all recommendations for treatment, the judge said.

An investigation began on Aug. 10, 2021, when West Norriton police responded to the Walmart located in the 600 block of South Trooper Road after a woman reported that a man took a photograph of the underside of her dress on Aug. 9, according to a criminal complaint filed by West Norriton Detective Mark Wassmer.

The woman reported she was in the aluminum pan aisle when she almost tripped over a man, later determined to be Tiller, “who was crouched down and appeared to be pretending to look at merchandise where the shelf was empty,” Wassmer alleged. “(The victim) then saw his cellular phone on the ground in a position to view, photograph or video the underneath of her dress. She then called him a pervert and took his photograph with her cellular phone which she shared with police,” Wassmer wrote in the arrest affidavit.

The woman reported that she had also encountered the same man attempting to take a photograph under her skirt on Aug. 3 at the same Walmart.

With the assistance of facial recognition software police identified Tiller as the suspect, according to court documents.

Detectives later made contact with Tiller at his residence and confronted him with the photograph that the victim had taken of him after the incident.

“Tiller admitted to attempting to take two photographs of the underneath of (the victim’s) dress. He said he needed money and met a man online that would pay him for ‘up skirting’ videos or photographs,” Wassmer alleged.

Under state law, a person commits the crime of invasion of privacy if they photograph, videotape or otherwise records or personally views the intimate parts, whether or not covered by clothing, of another person without that person’s knowledge and consent for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desires of any person.

A charge of harassment in a public place was dismissed against Tiller as part of the plea agreement.