FAYETTEVILLE — Prosecutors have declined to press charges against one of the two University of Arkansas golfers accused of taking pictures of an unconscious woman’s genitals, while the second man pleaded innocent at his arraignment Monday in Fayetteville.
Taylor Moore, 21, pleaded innocent to one count of video voyeurism and was given an Aug. 19 trial date.
Matt Durrett, Washington County prosecutor, said information came to light that Nicolas Echavarria, 20, wasn’t involved, even though some pictures of the woman were found on his cell phone.
Echavarria may have been at the house where the woman was photographed but there is no evidence he participated, Durrett said, explaining statements made to police were later clarified.
“I can’t go into specifics because Taylor Moore’s case is still open,” Durrett said.
The two were accused of taking photos of an intoxicated woman while she slept at Moore’s house, according to a Fayetteville Police Department report.
Recording images of an individual’s private body parts without the person’s consent is considered video voyeurism and punishable by a fine or up to a year in jail.
The two were arrested in mid-May just before the NCAA regional tournament in New Haven, Conn. Both were suspended indefinitely from the golf team and didn’t participate in the tournament. Arkansas didn’t advance from the regional.
Kevin Trainor, associate athletic director for public relations at Arkansas, said Tuesday there was no update on Echavarria’s status with the team.
The woman told police on April 11 she consumed multiple alcoholic drinks at various bars on Dickson Street in Fayetteville and then ran into Moore and Echavarria, whom she described in the report as friends.
She said she went to two other places with the pair, then because she was too intoxicated to drive, she and another friend accepted a ride from Moore and Echavarria. According to the women, they dropped off her friend and then took her to Moore’s house.
The woman, who told police she passed out, then awoke in the car several times, said she was under the impression she would spend the night at Moore’s house and then be given a ride home in the morning.
The woman said she fell asleep on the couch and recalled being carried into Moore’s bedroom. The woman said while in the bedroom, she recalled seeing a flash of light and suspected Moore took photos of her.