Blue Springs teen suspected of secretly filming women accused of assault: court records
A teenager arrested last month in what police have described as a string of predatory sexual acts — including filming a woman and her 6-year-old in a bathroom— was allegedly seen assaulting a woman weeks later outside of a dollar store, according to court records.
The 17-year-old is accused of sexual misconduct involving at least 19 victims many of whom are believed to have been filmed or inappropriately touched while in public spaces along the Woods Chapel Road corridor in Blue Springs. He faces criminal charges in Jackson County Juvenile Court.
Police began investigating after a woman reported on March 25 that she and her 6-year-old daughter were filmed by a young man in a QuikTrip bathroom at 1301 NW Woods Chapel Road in Blue Springs. She told an officer that a male assailant had been recording them while they were in the women’s restroom, according to an affidavit for the search warrant.
The officer viewed QuikTrip security video and was able get a description of the teen, including the clothing he was wearing and that he had left on a bright green bicycle.
Other officers converged on the area and found the bicycle at a nearby Casey’s General Store, 1914 NW Woods Chapel Road. Officers, however, could not find him inside the store or in the men’s restroom, according to the court document. A female officer found the teenager in the women’s restroom with his pants around his ankles and he was taken into police custody.
In early April, roughly two weeks later, police officers were called to a Dollar Tree at 1106 NW Woods Chapel Road on a report of a young man “humping” a 69-year-old woman, according to court documents. Another woman called to say she had also been touched inappropriately by a teenager and provided a description.
A police officer saw the teenager walking in the area and followed him to his home, court records state. The teenager was wearing a monitoring ankle bracelet at the time as he had recently been released from the Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center, and he allegedly ran from police officers before being arrested again.
Investigators obtained permission from the teenager’s guardian to view a cellphone that was on the teenager when he was arrested. On the phone they allegedly found evidence of 11 cases where victims’ privacy was invaded, court records state.
Detectives filed a search warrant this week in Jackson County seeking evidence of other crimes on another cellphone that the teen had when he was arrested previously.
Blue Springs police have asked women who may have noticed strange behavior or who believe they may have been secretly filmed to come forward and speak with detectives. In the time since, police have heard from other women, including former co-workers of the teenager, who reported that he had been known to have videos of women visiting the bathroom of various grocery stores and other places.
Anyone with information was asked to contact detective Kate Tipton at 816-622-4196.
