Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – It seems to be becoming more of a problem these days: women being filmed in places where they expect privacy. The latest case is in Loudoun County.
A woman was using a bathroom in a medical building on Deerfield Avenue in Lansdowne March 25 when she noticed a man holding a phone that looked like it was recording her from the next stall. The woman reported what happened to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Michael Chapman said they distributed pictures from a surveillance video that caught the suspect leaving the building. Someone recognized the man and told the sheriff’s office his name. 31-year-old Jessie Scobie of Lovettsville turned himself in Saturday April 20. He’s charged with being a peeping tom and unlawful filming.
Scobie was released from the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on a personal recognizance bond.
His arrest comes after 39-year-old Mumtaz Rauf of Alexandria was arrested last year and charged with filming more than 60 women and girls in Dec. of 2018 at dressing rooms in stores in Fair Oaks, Fair Lakes Promenade and Tysons Corner Center in neighboring Fairfax County.
“As technology improves, these kinds of things happen more often, so it actually makes it a lot easier for people to do, to commit this kind of crime,” Chapman said.
He advises women be on guard and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.
Chapman added they are looking into whether Scobie also filmed other women without their consent.
(Copyright 2019 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: (Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office)
