Man allegedly filmed teen trying on bathing suit in Massachusetts Target dressing room

CBS News

01-05-2025

A Swansea man is facing charges after he allegedly used his cellphone to record a 17-year-old girl who was trying on a bathing suit and nude inside a dressing room at the Target in Swansea.
A clean shaven 25-year-old John Michael Williams entered Fall River District Court looking much different than the bearded man police say they caught on surveillance. "She went into the changing room, undressed to try on the bathing suit and noticed a cellphone sticking under the partition of the changing room. The screen was facing her, and she noticed it was flashing red indicating it was recording," said prosecutor Henry Sousa.
The teen immediately contacted her parents and police who obtained the store's surveillance, images which police posted on social media.
Allegedly altered appearance before arrest
A tip led them to the home of Williams' aunt where he was living after a violent domestic situation at home and was found in the bathroom allegedly altering his appearance.
John Michael Williams is accused of recording a teen inside a Target dressing room.
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"The defendant was reportedly heard activating hair clippers, changing his appearance. While in the bathroom they observed hair, clumps of hair had been cut off on the floor," said Sousa.
The fitting rooms at the Target are unisex which is not uncommon in many stores, but some customers say it can open the door to an uncomfortable situation. "I don't think they should have unisex dressing rooms. No, I think it should be men and women. Separate," said Sunshine Plante.
Another woman said the situation is troubling. "If I ever go into a fitting room, I look for cameras, anything that could be suspicious," she said.
Released on $1,000 bail
Williams left the courthouse without commenting after posting $1,000 cash bail.
He allegedly admitted to police he made the recording and was sorry he did it. "I made a mistake, a terrible mistake that I regret. Not just because you showed up or because I saw my picture on Facebook, but because it's wrong, I know it's wrong and I don't do stuff like that, but it's been a terrible year," said Sousa in court.
For now, Williams has to wear a GPS monitoring device, stay away from the teen, and have no unsupervised visits with children under the age of 18. He's due back in court June 11.