Log in

ARIZONA MILLS

Man suspected of recording girl in Tempe clothing store fitting room

Posted 3/30/24

A 28-year-old man has been arrested after police said he is suspected of  recording a girl in the fitting room of Forever 21 at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe.

Police were called to the …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor
ARIZONA MILLS

Man suspected of recording girl in Tempe clothing store fitting room

Posted

A 28-year-old man has been arrested after police said he is suspected of  recording a girl in the fitting room of Forever 21 at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe.

Police were called to the store about 3:30 p.m. March 28, and the girl told them she was inside a fitting room stall when she noticed that the person next to hers had placed a soda on the upper ledge of the stall.

While changing her clothes, the teenager saw a cell phone fall from the ledge and onto the floor inside her changing room, police said in a release.

She noticed the device recording “and immediately stopped it.

“She reviewed the phone’s photos and found several images of her undressed. The victim notified a store employee who kept the phone in a drawer until officers arrived,” the release stated.

Matthew Villalobos confirmed to police that the phone belonged to him, police said. Villalobos was asked to provide his password to unlock the phone; however, he gave officers incorrect codes, according to authorities.

 A search warrant was issued to inspect the phone, and investigators found images confirming the victim’s allegations.

An investigation continues as police work on determining whether there are additional victims.

Villalobos was arrested at the mall and booked into jail on felony charges for surreptitious recording and sexual exploitation of a minor.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.