A Floral man has been charged in Independence County Circuit Court with video voyeurism and unlawful distribution of sexual images or recordings.
Prosecutors allege Derek James Roberts, 31, had a relationship with a female that lasted about a month before she stopped the relationship. The woman told authorities that Roberts then began to harass her by texting and calling her non-stop and telling her he was going to show nude pictures of her to her co-workers and boss, according to court information filed Feb. 8.
Roberts is also accused of secretly filming the woman at his residence, and making the pictures and film public. The prosecutor said in the court filing that the woman was in a private area out of public view, and she had a reasonable expectation of privacy and had not consented to the observation or filming. Roberts is also accused of distributing the images or recordings to a third party with the purpose to harass, intimidate, or threaten the female, according to the suspect’s arrest affidavit.
Roberts is charged with two counts of felony video voyeurism and unlawful distribution of sexual images or recordings, a Class A misdemeanor. The felony charges are punishable by imprisonment of up to six years on each count and a fine of $10,000, or both a fine and imprisonment.
The misdemeanor charge is punishable by not more than one year in the county jail or a $1,000 fine or both a fine and incarceration.
Roberts (pictured below) is currently in the Independence County Jail under a bond of $40,000.
Image via Independence County Sheriff’s Department
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