Mobile phone repairman steals nudes off girl's phone
Detectives are now investigating the store for further potential similar incidents.
A phone technician has been arrested after he allegedly sent a female customer's nude images to his own mobile phone when he was supposed to be repairing hers.
The horrified 18-year-old victim – whose identity is being withheld – was offered more than A$750 by the store owner to keep quiet, it later emerged.
The alleged crime happened when the teenager went to the Gadget Cure Cell Phone Repair shop in the US city of Cleveland on February 22 to get her phone screen repaired.
She gave her password to the technician – identified as 26-year-old Jonathan Petrushansky – and went to do some shopping while the device was repaired.
But less than half an hour later, her Apple watch – which was linked to her phone – notified her that numerous photos and videos had been sent to an unknown number.
Officials in Cleveland, Texas State, said Petrushansky forwarded a total of 65 nude photos and five explicit videos to himself.
The young woman returned to the shop immediately and took back her phone, which was still unrepaired.
She confronted Petrushansky, who denied everything at first but later claimed he had forwarded the images to himself by accident.
The store owner then allegedly tried to settle things by offering the victim US$500 (A$760) to keep the incident secret and promised to fire the worker.
But the victim decided to report the case to the Cleveland Police Department, which opened an investigation.
"These were photos she had taken of herself and sent to her ex-boyfriend," Detective John Shaver said in a statement.
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"She immediately came to Cleveland Police Department to file a complaint, then went home and started doing some digging of her own.
"She was able to find out that the phone number was registered to Jonathan Petrushansky, the technician at the store."
Det Shaver went to his house and learned he was the store owner's brother.
He spoke to him briefly and was able to find out that Petrushansky – who was supposed to have been fired – was back working at the store.
He was arrested and charged with invasive visual recording, but was released after posting a USD$20,000 (A$30,400) bond.
Detectives are investigating the store for further potential similar incidents.
- Newsflash/Australscope
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