Shopper put phone in basket to record under women’s skirts at Publix, Florida cops say

A man accused of video voyeurism was using hand-held shopping baskets to pass a recording device under women’s skirts at stores including Publix supermarkets, according to investigators in Florida.

The crime spree lasted more than two years, resulting in dozens of women being victimized in the Gainesville area, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.

Thomas Ali Burns was arrested Aug. 14, and a search revealed 67 videos in his possession, all recorded up skirts at Publix, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Aldi and Target, the sheriff’s office wrote in an Aug. 21 affidavit.

Charges for the 45-year-old Burns, who lives in Gainesville, include sex offense video voyeurism and use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony, officials said.

His arrest came with the help of a victimized Publix shopper, who supplied deputies with a description of his vehicle and specialty license plate, officials said.

“At the time the victim was wearing a dress. While the victim was in the checkout line, she noticed that a shopping basket (handheld basket) touched her leg,” the affidavit reports.

“When she looked down she saw a cell phone at the bottom of the basket with the camera up. The victim confronted the defendant about this (but) he did not respond to her and walked off.”

Surveillance video provided by the store corroborated the woman’s story, officials said.

Publix store managers later became aware of additional incidents involving “the same defendant and the same behavior,” including in the produce section and the deli area, officials said.

All 67 videos appear to have been recorded the same way, involving women in dresses, the affidavit says.

“The phone was at the bottom of a shopping basket with the camera recording up. The basket would then move under a female’s dress or skirt,” detectives wrote.

“In several situations, the defendant records the victims in other parts of the store and follows them until he places the basket up their dress or skirt in another area.”

In some instances, the suspect “looks down at the camera, showing his face,” officials said.

The investigation is ongoing and the sheriff’s office is searching for other victims, officials said.

Gainesville is about a 70-mile drive southwest from Jacksonville.

This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Shopper put phone in basket to record under women’s skirts at Publix, Florida cops say."