A West Plains man has been charged with a felony after allegedly using a cell phone to record underneath the skirt of a 12-year-old girl at a local store.
David A. Brawley, 39, is charged with invasion of privacy, a Class E felony.
West Plains Police Officer Brent Keepes investigated the incident, which reportedly happened Sunday at Walmart. According to a probable cause statement submitted to prosecutors, a witness reported saw Brawley place his cell phone underneath the victim's skirt. The witness alerted the child's mother and officers later located a seven-second video from the incident on Brawley's phone.
During the investigation, officers located several other videos recorded on Brawley's phone the same day, taken at 10Box and a local McDonald's.
That footage reportedly showed close-up recordings of women’s breasts and buttocks.
Keepes noted in his report that Brawley initially claimed the recordings were unintentional and that he was unaware his phone was camera-active. However, Brawley later admitted to recording the women, telling officers he was "peeping" and believed the 12-year-old victim was at least 18 years old.
Court records show Brawley was arrested and subsequently released after posting a $25,000 surety bond. He is to make an initial appearance Sept. 14 before 37th Judicial Circuit Associate Judge R. David Ray.
The case is being prosecuted by Howell County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Hutchings and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Rizwan Ahad.
