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Woman chases sex offender who spied on her out of metro Atlanta Target store, police say

NEWNAN, Ga. — A man with a history of spying on women was arrested again after getting caught at a Target in Newnan.

Channel 2′s Matt Johnson was in Newnan Thursday, where police said he’s preyed on women in multiple counties.

On April 4, a woman chased Jesse Kirk, 49, out of the front of the Newnan Target into the parking lot. She made sure to get a vehicle description of the car that Kirk got into, which led police to his tag number.

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Johnson talked to Det. Renee Edwards, who said the woman at Target caught the Peeping Tom in the act.

“She noticed him looking over the door,” Edwards said.

Edwards said the victim didn’t even put on her shoes to chase him out of the store.

On April 21, police arrested Kirc before he walked into a Target in Peachtree City.

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“Our victim was the reason why we were able to find him so quickly,” Edwards said.

Channel 2 Action News first reported on Kirk in January, when we aired his photo. That photo was taken by another woman who said he spied on her with a phone at the dressing room at Plato’s Closet in Buford.

An employee there got a partial plate number and Gwinnett County police said they may consider charges against him in that case.

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In 2019, Brookhaven police arrested Kirk for allegedly filming under women’s skirts at Costco.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation lists Kirk as a registered sex offender for a 1999 conviction in California for assault to commit rape.

Police said these cases are a reminder to keep an eye out.

“When you’re walking through the store pay attention to who’s walking close to you,” Edwards said.

Kirk was released from jail a day after his arrest on a $2,400 bond. It’s unclear if his previous criminal history was considered.