A former Walmart worker has been sentenced for using his phone to look up a 77-year-old woman’s dress.
Juan Carlos Noa, 65, was placed on one year of probation and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service after pleading no contest this past week in Sumter County Court to a charge of voyeurism.
The incident occurred in 2023 when a then-77-year-old resident of the Village of Hemingway went to the Walmart at Sarasota Plaza, according to an arrest report from the sheriff’s office. She was at the store early on the morning of July 21, 2023 looking at food in the grocery area when she noticed in the corner of her eye that a man “was bending down behind her back and holding a camera under her dress,” the report said. The man, who was wearing a blue Walmart vest, got up, covered his nameplate and walked away. Apparently, shaken by the incident, the Villager left the store. However, she returned the following day to report the invasive behavior to Walmart management. Walmart managers indicated they would conduct their own investigation, using video surveillance footage.
The woman contacted Walmart management a few weeks later to follow up. Walmart indicated it had identified the employee, who had resigned. A Walmart manager told the woman the former employee’s name could not be released to her. She contacted the sheriff’s office which began investigating the case.
A detective worked with Walmart and the suspect was identified as Noa, who was living at the time in the Clara Villas in the Village of DeLuna. A warrant was issued for his arrest.