News

Actions

Man pleads no contest to filming woman in Chesterfield dressing room

Posted at 1:34 PM, Mar 28, 2014
and last updated 2014-03-28 13:36:00-04

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – The man accused of using his cellphone to take video of women inside two department store dressing rooms pleaded no contest in Chesterfield County court Friday.

A judge found Justin Harvey guilty of two counts of unlawful filming, including one incident on Valentine's Day inside a dressing room inside the Kohl's at 11331 Midlothian Turnpike.

Justin A. Harvey

"The victim was trying on clothes when she saw a hand holding a cell phone under the dressing room door. The victim yelled at the suspect and chased him through the store and to the parking lot," police wrote in an email.

The other incident involved Harvey trying to take video of a woman while she was in a dressing room at the Kohl's store in the 2700 block of W. Hundred Road on Nov. 21.

The 22-year-old said in court that he is a victim of sexual abuse, which was partially to blame for his actions. He also said he is seeking treatment for the abuse.

Harvey was sentenced to 24 months in jail, but 12 months were suspended. He also must pay a fine and undergo a mental evaluation.

Steve Sommers, Harvey’s attorney, said his client is sorry about what happened.

“He said so in open court during his allocution that he recognizes that his behavior was wrong and he is terribly, terribly sorry for what he has done,” Sommers said.

The overseeing detective in the case credited viewers for identifying and bringing Harvey to justice. In fact, Harvey was identified within 30 minutes of the photo's broadcast.