The Teton County Attorney’s Office has dropped a voyeurism charge against a Texas man who was accused of attempting to photograph a prepubescent girl’s crotch area at a carnival last summer.
Last July, William Ewan Brennan IV was charged with one count of attempted voyeurism, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $5,000 in fines. Throughout his case, he has been released on bond from jail.
On June 4, Teton County Deputy Attorney Mackenzie Cole requested permission from Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens to dismiss the case “without prejudice,” which means she could re-file it if new evidence or circumstances emerged.
Cole stated that the dismissal was “in the interest of justice.”
Owens granted the prosecutor’s request one day later.
Brennan’s case was scheduled for a jury trial on July 14 before being dismissed.
It’s unclear why the prosecutor requested dismissal.
Cole’s supervisor, Teton County Attorney Richard Stout, declined to comment on the dismissal via text message Wednesday.
Brennan did not immediately return a request for comment.
His public defense attorney, Rachel Weksler, did not immediately respond to a voicemail requesting comment.
Weksler filed a motion with the court on Tuesday, requesting that Brennan pay $500 in public defender costs.
The carnival
According to the case affidavit, the charge stemmed from a Jackson Police Department investigation that began when a man approached Cpl. Paul Jacobson at the carnival on the night of July 26, 2024, and told him he’d seen another man taking photos of a girl who appeared to be 7 or 8 years old.
The witness claimed the man was photographing the girl’s lower body while she was wearing loose white shorts, according to the document.
According to the document, Jacobson and Sgt. Kyle Foster later discovered Brennan, whom they identified from a cellphone photo taken by the eyewitness, standing in line behind the same girl the witness had noted.
According to the affidavit, Foster stood behind Brennan and watched him point his camera-activated phone at the girl’s bottom.
Brennan was arrested that night and later released on a bond.
