An Idaho man dressed as a woman was arrested for allegedly taking video of a woman in the fitting room of an Idaho Falls Target store, police say.
Police arrested Sean Patrick Smith, 46, after a Target customer said she walked into the changing rooms and observed Smith using his cell phone to take images of a woman removing her clothing.
“The woman was begging for help as she chased the man out the door,” a witness told EastIdahoNews.com. “She kept saying she wanted those pictures deleted.”
Idaho Falls police reported that the suspect told them he “identifies” as a woman and would rather be addressed as “Shauna Patricia Smith.”
Smith was arrested, charged with one felony count of voyeurism, and booked into the Bonneville County Jail on Wednesday. The charge could bring up to five years in prison.
The suspect was booked as a male, and his first appearance in court is forthcoming.
Officials are now investigating to find out if Smith has perpetrated such acts at other stores.
The suspect’s alleged actions are complicated by the store’s policy of allowing men who claim to be women to use the women’s facilities whenever they want. In April, Target announced it was formally inviting anyone to use any bathroom or changing area they want at any given time. A month later, Target CEO Brian Cornell defended the policy announcement despite a major boycott campaign, $5 billion in lost revenue, and wide criticism.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.