A middle-aged man who identifies as transgender was arrested Tuesday for taking photos of a customer while she changed in the women's fitting room at an Idaho Target store. Police booked Shauna Patricia Smith into Bonneville County Jail for one count of felony voyeurism.
Smith identifies as transgender and had entered the women's fitting room as a female.
The victim was trying on clothes inside a dressing room Monday when she saw someone taking pictures of her. Smith had allegedly reached over the stall wall with a cellphone and photographed the victim before fleeing on foot.
"The woman was begging for help as she chased the man," the witness told EastIdahoNews.com.
The victim repeatedly told the suspect to delete the pictures, but she was unable to catch the perpetrator.
Though Smith identifies as a woman, the witness identified the suspect as a man and the jail inmate roster lists Smith as a man named Sean Patrick Smith.
A news release stated that police used witness testimony and store security footage to locate Smith. They put Smith in custody after detectives interviewed the suspect. Smith faces up to five years in jail if convicted. Detectives are still investigating to see if there are any more victims.
Here is a section of Target's April statement on its controversial policy:
In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.
Target has received harsh criticism in response to its decision to allow transgender people to use the bathroom or changing room of the gender with which they identify. A pledge was launched by the American Family Association (AFA) in April to boycott Target stores. It now has over 1.3 million signatures.
The AFA claims that women and children are endangered by the store's bathroom and changing room policy, and proposes a unisex bathroom be provided "for the trans community and for those who simply like using the bathroom alone."
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