A judge in Kingman imposed a two year prison sentence last Wednesday, rejecting a request for probation by a Mohave Valley man who pleaded guilty to voyeurism for using his cell phone to take pictures up and underneath the dress of a female customer at Walmart last September.
Defense attorney Nathan Best said his client, Ronald Duarte, 36, suffers mental health issues associated with the death of his fiancé, the mother of his children, in a traffic accident more than five years ago.
“I’m a mess,” Duarte said at his sentencing hearing. “All I ask for is just a fighting chance to prove to myself and everybody that I can be a productive member of society.”
Prosecutor Bob Moon and Judge Sipe both said the case was puzzling, and they questioned any nexus between Duarte’s tragic loss of a loved one and his sexually motivated behavior at the retail outlet. Moon noted that local bars and the internet provide ample more opportunity to see much more than Duarte was able to capture when he snapped pictures of the woman.
Judge Sipe said he watched surveillance system video of the incident and was disturbed by how many times Duarte took pictures. He said Duarte had no cart and apparently only went to Walmart to shop for a voyeurism victim rather than anything else.
“You almost looked like a shoplifter. You were looking around,” Judge Sipe told Duarte. “You were making sure no one was watching.”
Noting seven previous felony convictions, and the “egregious invasion” of the victim’s privacy, Sipe rejected Duarte’s plea for probation and sent him to the Department of Corrections.
“This is a shock to my life,” said the dumbfounded defendant. He begged for reconsideration and complained when Judge Sipe refused.
Duarte offered that he was only charged because someone tampered with his cell phone. He asked his father to tell everyone of his perceived injustice.
“It’s not right. It’s not right at all,” Duarte said. “Make sure you tell Facebook dad. I love you dad.”
