Ventura County man arrested for recording women inside Target dressing rooms

A Ventura County man was arrested for allegedly recording women inside the dressing room of a Target store on several different occasions, authorities said. 

Jack Crawford, 25, of Thousand Oaks, was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 17, after months of investigation into the matter, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. 

Deputies were first made aware of the allegations back on June 5, when they were called to the Target store in the 2700 block of Teller Road in Thousand Oaks for reports of a person recording someone in the fitting room, the VCSD release said. 

Deputies say that the 18-year-old victim saw the phone being held over the wall and into the fitting room, which caused her to yell out for help. She spoke with CBS News Los Angeles, recounting the disturbing moments she realized she was being recorded. 

"I started to undress, and I had a gut feeling to just look up, and that was when I saw the camera," the victim, only wishing to be identified as Kennedy, said. "That was when I kind of screamed out, nervously laughed, 'Oh my gosh, someone's filming me!'"

She says that she was scared to report the incident to authorities, but knew it was the right thing to do. 

"I wasn't fully undressed, thank goodness; just pants unbuckled. So, I'm very, very glad I wasn't, but I worry about the other women who didn't see him," she said. "The best thing to do is to just know it's not your fault and just reach out for help. Know you're not alone either, this stuff is scary."

Video surveillance from inside the store allowed investigators to identify the suspect as Crawford. They secured a search warrant for his cell phone, and upon search, they found video evidence that he visited the same Target on several different occasions. 

"There was incriminating evidence found on his phone, which also identified seven other victims of this individual," said VCSD Captain Rob Yoos. "At this point in time, we do not know their identities, unfortunately."

They're now looking for females who would've been using the dressing rooms on: 

• May 12 between 3 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., 
• June 2 between 1:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.,
• June 5 between 2:20 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Crawford was arrested and booked for eight counts of invasion of privacy. He is due in court in October. 

Due to the nature of the investigation, deputies are asking anyone who may know more or who believes they are a victim to contact them at (805) 494-8229.

CBS News Los Angeles has reached out to both Target and Crawford's lawyer for comment on the matter but has not yet heard back.