Facebook tip led to voyeur suspect's arrest

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police have identified the man they said put his cellphone underneath a woman's skirt and took a picture at a Southside Walmart on Monday.

James Harvey, 29, was arrested shortly after the incident at the store at 8808 Beach Blvd. and charged with video voyeurism, a felony.

The victim told police she was looking at makeup when she heard a click, turned around and saw Harvey kneeling, cellphone in hand, according to a police report. She yelled, "Are you crazy?" and he shrugged and walked away, according to the report.

Soon after posting surveillance photos, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said it got a tip on its Facebook page from someone who thought they saw the suspect's vehicle in the Windy Hills area.

Police said a sergeant saw the Facebook comment come in and immediately went to the area looking. They said Sgt. Bottin saw the suspect vehicle near a park in Windy Hills, and the suspect drove off when he saw the police.

Bottin conducted a traffic stop and the suspect was arrested within 40 minutes of his photo being posted to Facebook, police said.

News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said the use of social media to solve crimes like this is happening more often, but this seems unusual.

"That's very fast," he said. "They are obviously monitoring that page. That is very quick, so they are checking all sources trying to locate this person."

JSO agrees and said this shows how social media can pay off.

"We put stuff on Facebook to get it out there to the general public," JSO spokesman Christian Hancock said. "Obviously, there are more eyes than just us on the street."

Harvey, who's also facing drug charges, is being held at the Duval County jail on bond. He has a court appearance scheduled for Sept. 10.