San Diego Reader

On Tuesday, June 30, on the San Diego County Fair’s SDG&E Showcase Stage, the Jamul School of the Performing Arts began their 1:00 p.m. presentation for the crowd of about 150 fairgoers. The numerous choreographed acts presented teenaged and young adult dancers — all female — dressed in typical dance costumes of tights, tutus, and short skirts.

At around 1:20 p.m., two sheriff’s deputies began questioning a man who held a video camera. For about ten minutes, the deputies reviewed his footage. For another 20 minutes they talked with him and took notes. The man, in his 40s and wearing a white T-shirt with an American flag design, did not appear to have any family with him, nor did he seem miffed that he was missing the performances.

At 1:45 p.m., an fairgrounds employee walked past the man and the deputies while holding out his cell phone to take a picture of the man.

When I asked the employee what was going on and if there was concern that the man was inappropriately videotaping, the employee said, “That would be a good guess, but I can’t say any more about it.”

Five minutes later, while the performances were still going on, the man walked out of the performance area toward the midway, in a different direction than the two deputies.

According to sheriff lieutenant Milakovich, the deputy in charge of the sheriff’s fair command center, no arrest was made in the incident.