Target Security Leads to Arrest in Secret Peeping Case

Loss Prevention Staff Reported the Conduct

A 31-year-old man is facing secret peeping and indecent liberties charges after Target loss-prevention staff in Charlotte reported seeing him follow teenage girls and use his phone to record them without their knowledge, police said.

Adem Shrader was arrested Sept. 13 at the Target in Blakeney Town Center. He is charged with one felony count of secret peeping and three misdemeanor counts of indecent liberties with a child.

The charges are allegations. Shrader has not been convicted in the North Carolina case.

Surveillance Video Shows the Store Timeline

An affidavit cited by WBTV says security video showed Shrader approach a 17-year-old near the end of an aisle, crouch behind her and place his phone beneath her skirt.

Police said he later followed three 15-year-old girls into the clothing department. Investigators allege he used clothing racks to conceal his position while aiming the phone toward them.

Store cameras continued tracking Shrader as he moved toward the checkout area. Court records say he had an otherwise empty shopping cart containing one bottle of orange soda.

Police Arrested Shrader Before He Left

Loss-prevention employees contacted police while Shrader was still inside the store. Officers arrested him before he left, according to local reporting.

WCCB reported that one of the teenagers’ mothers was in the same shopping center at the time. She said the girls did not realize what was allegedly happening until after security staff intervened.

The teens have not been publicly identified.

Prior Peeping Case Is Separate From Current Charges

WCCB reported that court records show Shrader previously faced peeping-related charges in South Carolina and had served jail time.

That prior history does not determine the outcome of the North Carolina case. Prosecutors must prove the current allegations based on the evidence from the Target incident.

Shrader was being held on $100,000 bond, according to WCCB.

The Case Moves Forward on Surveillance Evidence

The current investigation is built around security footage, employee observations and the police affidavit describing Shrader’s alleged conduct inside the store.

The next stages will determine how that evidence is presented in court and whether prosecutors can prove the charges.

A Parent Was Nearby During the Incident

WCCB interviewed the mother of one of the 15-year-old girls, who said she was waiting at a restaurant in the same shopping center. She said she had stayed close because she considered herself to be chaperoning the teens while they shopped.

According to the mother, the girls did not notice the alleged recording activity while it was happening. Store security footage and loss-prevention staff observations became the basis for the police response.

WCCB also reported that Shrader had previously served jail time in South Carolina for a peeping-related offense. Any prior case is legally separate from the Charlotte charges and does not establish guilt in the new prosecution.

The North Carolina case will turn on the evidence gathered from the store and subsequent investigation.

Store Employees Became the First Reporters

The case is unusual because the initial report came from loss-prevention staff rather than from a teen who noticed the alleged conduct. Employees monitoring the store saw behavior they believed was suspicious and contacted police while the man was still inside.

That sequence gave officers access to a continuous surveillance timeline before the suspect left the property. The affidavit described his movement from aisles to the clothing area and then toward checkout.

The security footage is expected to be central to the prosecution because it records conduct that the girls themselves did not report seeing at the time. The defense will have the opportunity to challenge how the footage is interpreted and whether it proves the charged offenses.

References: Man accused of recording under teenage girls’ skirts inside Charlotte Target | Parent of Charlotte secret peeping victim speaks out