A man accused of filming females surreptitiously at the local mall with a camera on his shoe was ordered to undergo further psychiatric evaluation Friday, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records available online.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies arrested Stephen Michael Martin, 36, in January, after the station received complaints from Valencia Town Center in July 2025, according to Shirley Miller, a spokeswoman for the station.
Martin has been charged with one count of 647(J)(2) of the penal section, a misdemeanor “invasion of privacy,” which involves the secret photography or video recording a person’s body or undergarments without consent for sexual arousal.
Judge Gary Micon ordered the case moved to the Mental Health Division at a Sept. 4 pretrial conference in Department 3 of the Santa Clarita Courthouse, according to the minute order.
“On the court’s own motion, and over the objection of defense counsel, the court declares a doubt as to the defendant’s mental competence pursuant to Penal Code section 1368. Criminal proceedings are suspended,” according to the minutes. “Counsel for (the) defendant does not concur with the court’s decision.”
Martin has since pleaded not guilty, undergone two evaluations, and he is now being ordered to undergo a third evaluation, according to Friday’s minute order for the Hollywood Courthouse, which is part of the court’s Mental Health Division.
On Friday, Judge Elia Weinbach set the next hearing over Martin’s competency to stand trial for Dec. 4.
Miller indicated that the evidence to station officials indicated Martin “had a camera on his foot, on the top of his shoe, and he was noticed following women and girls on the escalator and positioning his foot,” in an interview shortly after the initial arrest.
The allegation listed in arrest records was a violation of California Penal Code section 647(j)(2), which makes it illegal to surreptitiously film someone in their undergarments.
After months of investigation, station officials recommended a charge of 311.11, a felony, which involves the production of obscene material involving a minor.
A Sheriff’s Department source familiar with the investigation indicated the evidence showed more than one instance of the recordings described in court records. The source indicated there were more than a dozen potential victims, but their identity was difficult to determine based on the footage. The District Attorney’s Office later decided on the misdemeanor filming charge after reviewing the case.
Martin was ordered to undergo electronic monitoring as a term of his bail. He also was ordered to stay away from the Valencia Town Center mall, schools, parks, amusement parks and other places where minors are known to congregate.
