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Kenneth Soto, age 55, of Bridgeport was arrested by Trumbull Police on Friday, April 15 at the Westfield Trumbull Mall.
Soto was taken into custody after a concerned citizen observed him using his cell phone to take inappropriate photographs of the unsuspecting juvenile as he sat at a table in the food court across from her, said Lt. Brian Weir, of the Trumbull Police.
The Trumbull Police were called to investigate Soto for videotaping the young girl, as he angled himself to view under her clothing. While doing so, Soto was using his hand to cover the screen of his phone to make it less visible to outside eyes as he zoomed in on her, Weir said.
Soto eventually left the area, and had taken off his exterior shirt and put on a face mask to change is appearance, Weir added.
The witness eventually relocated Soto and pointed him out to police who then took him into custody without incident, police said.
The young girl was no longer on the scene and her identity is unknown, Weir said.
Soto was transported to the Trumbull Police headquarters where he was charged with voyeurism with malice, and breach of peace.
He has been detained in the hospital for several days, due to medical emergencies, while remaining under police custody.
Soto was held on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Friday, April 29, in Bridgeport.
Soto, having an arrest history of various charges since 1983, had an outstanding warrant out of Rhode Island, and another for failure to appear by the New Haven Police for the charge of larceny, Weir said.
Soto was held on an additional court set bond of $40,000 and is scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court for this charge on Monday, April 25.
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