Man Thought It Was Legal To Take Upskirt Pictures

[matcom]

<snip>

SAND SPRINGS -- A shutterbug from Tulsa who reportedly thought it was legal to snap a photo under an unsuspecting woman's dress will have to tell his story to a judge.

Darwin Dion Batton, 43, had his own photo taken at the Tulsa Jail, where he was booked Friday night on a felony peeping Tom complaint, authorities said.

He was released Sunday on $1,000 bond and faces a Thursday court appearance before Tulsa County Special District Judge Millie Otey.

A felony charge of using video equipment -- a cellular phone -- for an illegal purpose was filed by prosecutors Wednesday against Batton.

Sand Springs Assistant Police Chief Mike Carter said Batton was arrested at the Warehouse Market after putting his camera-equipped cell phone under a woman's dress and taking a picture.

Carter said the 60-year-old shopper was unaware of what was going on, but after she found out, she agreed to press the complaint against Batton.

Carter said police caught up with Batton in the store after another shopper saw him bend down on the right side of the woman and put his hand up under her dress.

That shopper immediately notified off-duty Officer Kyle Alexander, who was working security at the store, Carter said.

When confronted by Alexander, Batton admitted taking a picture of the woman but insisted that the action was not illegal -- that he had seen it on a local television newscast, Carter said.

Even as he was being taken to jail, Batton -- who works for DirecTV -- "continued to profess that he had done nothing illegal," Carter said.

He said Batton told officers he "was just curious."

Peeping Tom charges are normally misdemeanors, but they become felonies whenever a device is used to record an image.

This apparently is Batton's first brush with the law, Carter said.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/EmailStoryDisplay.asp?ID=060907_Ne_A13_Shutt10244

[MrCoffee]

1. he was charged with using video equipment for an illegal purpose?

and that's a felony?

[LeftyMom]

2. "Carter said the 60-year-old shopper was unaware of what was going on"

So not only is he a pervert, he's into granny panties? Ick.

[lukasahero]

7. Some 60 year old women

Diane Keaton

Jaclyn Smith

Cher

Susan Sarandon

But, you know, ick. :eyes:

[LeftyMom]

8. Well, how much of that is factory equipment?

I don't really think it's fair to look at celebrites who are almost certainly surgicly enhanced (or in the case of Cher, transplaneted by aliens into a new cloned body every few months) and definitely professionally made up and then airbrushed half to death as typical for thier age group.

Edit: The guy's 43. A 60 year old is damned near old enough to be his Mom, even if she looks younger than she is.

[lukasahero]

9. I'm 43 and my husband is 57

Do you see that as equally repulsive or is it only older women who gross you out?

[LeftyMom]

10. Men who victimize women gross me out

Men who do it to older women, who we have as much social obligation to protect and cherish as we do minors, I find especially abhorrent.

If he'd done that to a woman his own age, she'd probably have had both the street smarts and technology awareness to know what he was doing and the physical capability to take his cell phone and shove it up his ass, which is what the sick fuck deserves. That's why I have a particular problem with targeting older women.

[lukasahero]

11. I in no way have the "physical capability to take his cell phone and shove

it up his ass". Some women who are older than me do.

Women over 60 should not be considered children (minors, to use your words). That's disrepectful if you ask me. They should be valued and respected for their strength, their wisdom, their abilities.

Perhaps you are thinking more of women in their 80's and 90's? (And men for that matter.) But suggesting women in their 60's are helpless little victims who need to be protected (read: treated) like children and couldn't possibly be sexually and physically capable and appealing is rather sad. Makes me wonder how young you are.

So are you suggesting it's ok to do this to younger women? What about those of us who aren't able to shove his cell phone up his ass?

I agree, the guys a sick f*ck. I do not agree that it's because he did it to a woman over 60. He's a sick f*ck because he violated a woman - period.

[LeftyMom]

12. Of course it's disgusting to violate any woman

It's just more disgusting to violate a woman who was unlikely to be able to defend herself.

I never said that older women are comparable to minors, just that both are deserving of additional protection.

[SteppingRazor]

15. Correction -- some 60-year-old ridiculously air-brushed women n/t

[patcox2]

3. Maybe because it was legal in most places until recently?

New Jersey just made it illegal to place hidden cameras in hotel rooms two years ago.

[quiet.american]

4. Scum is the word that comes to mind. n/t

[driver8]

5. You mean it's not??

note to self -- remove upskirt pics from Flickr...

[Deja Q]

6. What, no pictures of the evidence?

:yoiks:

In seriousness, that's sick.

And if he was curious, plenty of libraries and book stores DO have pictures. Lots of them. Borders Bookstore even has a whole section devoted to it (I only passed there; I'm too embarrassed to actually look at the books... then I'd be even more embarrassed than that...)

[Crazy Dave]

13. I see the laws have changed

Or at least maybe in some states it has. It wasn't too long ago a lot of these guy's lawyers were getting them off the hook as the photos and videos were taken in public areas and the judges were ruling that nobody has a right to privacy in a public place.

[madinmaryland]

14. He probably still lives at home with his mom and posts on FreeRepublic!!!!

:rofl:

[leftofthedial]

16. but if he thought the women were terrorists

then it would be okay

or if he thought their panties had anti-bush slogans on them