Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law this week that extends the time limits for prosecuting voyeurism cases. The change was prompted by a Vermont Public story about a filmmaker who avoided criminal charges for recording two teenagers without their knowledge.
The bill, H.626, changes the statute of limitations for voyeurism and the non-consensual disclosure of sexually explicit images from three years to 40 years. The legislation also increased criminal penalties for voyeurism if the victim is under the age of 18.
“I'm so happy,” said Rep. Angela Arsenault, one of the bill’s lead sponsors. “I wish that none of this was necessary, but the fact that we were able to identify this need, and, you know, work on bipartisan legislation to try to address the need and then to have it signed by the governor … it's encouraging.”
Arsenault introduced the bill this session after Vermont Public’s reporting about a local filmmaker named Bill Simmon who, according to a police investigation, secretly recorded two teenage girls undressing and posted the videos online. Simmons was never criminally charged. The women were 19 and 17 at the time the video was recorded.
Tom Chenette, the Burlington Police detective who handled the case, told Vermont Public last year that he had evidence to file charges, but “the hurdle that I had was getting by the statute of limitations.”
At the time Chenette investigated the incident, the statute of limitations for voyeurism and disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent was three years — and the incident was reported six years after it happened.
Ciara Kilburn, who’d been filmed by Simmon and previously spoke to Seven Days, told lawmakers that the incident was “life-shattering.”
“While this law cannot help me, it can help others,” she said during testimony on H.626. “It can assure that they are protected and able to access justice.”
Simmon’s attorney, Jeffrey Messina, said in a previous statement that Simmon “greatly regrets his actions and the harm he caused.”
