The young man who was verbally abused by customers at a St. Johns Town Center store after he was caught filming with a cellphone under a stall in the ladies’ restroom pleaded guilty Wednesday to a first offense charge of video voyeurism.
Titus Hugh McDonell, 19, of Saint Johns, said in his May 1 police report that he felt “ashamed” and “stupid” after initially denying he had done anything wrong.
McDonell was sentenced by Judge Michael Bateh to six months in prison (with 113 days of time already served) followed by six months of probation, a psychosexual evaluation, no contact with victims or witnesses, no return to the store, proof of employment or full-time education, 50 hours of community service and no internet access, according to court records.
The March 12 incident went viral after two of the victims confronted a thin young man with glasses who was coming out of a Marshall’s ladies’ room. One of the two said she saw a cell phone lying between his shoes being filmed and even took a photo of it. Both also filmed the man with their own cell phones as they followed him through the store to prevent him from leaving and berated him.
One of the videos posted on TikTok quickly made the rounds on social media, prompting the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to post an image of it on Facebook and ask about its identity.
Several tips led to McDonell, who was 18 at the time. One said he was seen in a black Toyota Corolla and even gave the license plate number. A week later, the vehicle and McDonell were found in a McDonald’s parking lot in Town Center. He said it was his girlfriend’s car and he was waiting next door for her when she got home from work.
The officer asked what happened at Marshalls. He said he went in to use the restroom, but all the men’s rooms were occupied. He said he was watching YouTube on the phone but put it down when he was in the restroom and didn’t record anything, his arrest report states.
When asked why he thought these allegations were being made, the officer replied, “Well, because it all looks very suspicious, I would assume the same.”
When pressed further, McDonell took a deep breath and said, “I mean, I feel so ashamed, I feel so bad, I feel so stupid,” the report said. The phone, which belonged to his girlfriend, was seized for further forensic analysis.
According to court records, at least one of the victims was present during Wednesday’s hearing via Zoom and gave a statement.
