A man will spend 20 years in prison for illegally filming minors at a Madison County park and outdoor shopping mall.
Area law enforcement agencies received multiple complaints about a man, later identified as Satoshi Maehata, 27, offering snacks to young girls in exchange for hugs. This was occurring at Liberty Park in Madison and the Renaissance in Ridgeland.
Madison police officers began surveilling the scene at the park and located the individual matching Maehata’s description. The suspect gave consent to search his car where agents found a small camera disguised as a pen along with various candy and snacks.
According to investigators, Maehata admitted to having inappropriate videos that he took of underage girls on his computer. Officers performed a forensic examination of the computer and located multiple clips that appeared to show footage of females taken from under their skirts at both Liberty Park and the Renaissance.
He pled guilty in court to two counts of filming a child under the age of 16.
“The facts of this case are vile and unacceptable. Our daughters should not have to worry about someone filming under their skirts while they are at the local park or standing in line to get a smoothie,” District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated.
“Unfortunately, we must teach our children to always be vigilant of what is happening around them and to always report suspicious behavior. I want to thank the MPD and RPD investigators for their dedication to solving this case and ensuring this man will not be able to violate women in our community for a long time.”
Maehata will now be required to register as a sex offender once he is released from prison.
