Police say SC man tried to take photos up girl’s skirt

A Loris man was charged in connection with voyeurism after an police say he tried to tried to take photos up a girl’s skirt at a North Myrtle Beach grocery store back in November.

Joseph Derek Booth, 27, of Loris is charged with voyeurism/violating place of privacy, views, photographs, records or films, according to jail records.

He was initially arrested in November in connection with a peeping tom, eavesdropping, or peeping, but the charge was changed to voyeurism at a court appearance on Wednesday, according to Pat Dowling, North Myrtle Beach spokesman.

North Myrtle Beach police were first called on Nov. 11 to a Bi-Lo store on U.S. 17. Police met with a store employee who told them he discovered that the suspect walked up behind a customer in the store and placed his cellphone below her skirt, in between her legs, and took a photo or tried to take a photo without her knowledge, a police report states.

Authorities said they viewed surveillance footage of the incident and noted the female victim appeared to be about 13 to 15 years old. Police said the suspect placed his cellphone below the victim’s skirt several different times during the incident.

Surveillance footage showed that the suspect’s actions were witnessed by another woman, police said. Officers reviewed statements of others who were there who said they heard Booth deny any misdoing, and a witness said he showed her his phone and said “look, there is nothing on my phone,” according to the report.

Officers later interviewed Booth, and police said he admitted to trying to take a photos, but couldn’t get his phone to work, according to the report.

He told police he thought the girl was “at least 18” during the interview, the report says.

Booth was released from jail Tuesday on $3,000 bond, records show.

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 9:14 AM.