PUYALLUP, Washington (ABC 4 News) – The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office says between June of 2006 and August 2007, Steven Powell committed 14 acts of voyeurism and was in possession of child pornography on August 25th, 2011.
Pierce County detectives say they found some 2,000 images of women and girls as young as seven-years-old being videotaped unknowingly.
“There are pictures he took. He created , he produced. We have photos of his neighbors houses of little girls in bathrooms and naked. Totally inappropriate pictures with high-end lenses or he's by the window or he's put himself in a position to take photos,” said Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer.
Police say there were subfolders in his digital archive labeled “Taking a Bath-1,” “Taking a Bath-2,” and “Open Window in Back House.”
Also in the probable cause statement obtained by ABC 4 Detective Gary Sanders says the photographs focus on the “children’s breasts, buttocks, and genital area.”
Det. Sanders points out that Powell’s bedroom window directly aligns with his next door neighbor’s side window. Det. Sanders contacted that neighbor who let him inspect the home. That’s when he “recognized the bathroom and surrounding fixtures that were in the images of the two girls in the bathroom.”
The statement goes on to describe in detail the 14 counts of voyeurism. Among them are:
Child Victim No. 1 is seen in towel and she is captured naked as bathroom door closes
Child Victim No. 2 is seen using the toilet. The camera zooms in on her as she wipes with toilet paper
Det. Sanders contacted the family who lived there in the 2006-2007 timeframe. He found a mother with two young daughters.
“The mothers of the young girls were absolutely distraught,” said Troyer.
The mother “identified herself” and then her two daughters who were eight and nine-years-old at the time. After learning even more that’s when Det. Sanders says the mother “began to cry.”
Finally the probable cause statement lists findings found in “folders of images of Steven Powell himself.” Det. Sanders says inside the folders he found “images of him naked, images of his genitals, and images of him masturbating.”
Police say they are still investigating Powell and there may be further charges brought against him.
