An Augusta man remained in jail Sunday on charges of taking an upskirt photo of a woman as she shopped at a Dollar Tree store last month.
Major Sarrell Brown, 48, of Heritage Circle, Augusta, is charged with prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions.
The woman told deputies that she was browsing items inside the store on Augusta West Parkway on May 25 when the incident happened. She said the suspect stepped past her as she was squatting down to look at a lower shelf. Then she felt the man bump against her thigh and saw a phone camera flash as the man held the device under her dress and between her legs, authorities said.
The woman confronted Brown, who immediately apologized and claimed he deleted the image. She called police,and Brown was still at the store when officers arrived.
Brown allegedly confessed to taking the photo and apologized, saying he was “dealing with things,” according to authorities. He was arrested and taken to jail, where he has remained under no bond for two weeks. Details of the arrest were just released.
Brown is the same man accused of sexual battery in 2006. A female victim told authorities that the suspect ran his hand on her bare leg below her buttocks and licked her thigh without consent at a private residence on Woodcrest Drive. Two months after his arrest, Brown pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of simple battery in that case Judge Gayle Hamrick sentenced him to 12 months or probation, 40 hours of community service and a $700 fine.
