
Photo: Darrin Bookout
A Mountain Home man who allegedly made a secret videotape of sexual activity between himself and his former girlfriend – and threatened to share the footage was declared a fugitive when he was a no-show in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
Forty-three-year-old Darrin Bookout is charged with video voyeurism, unlawful use of a communications device and a misdemeanor count of unlawful distribution of sexual images.
He has been free on a $10,000 bond posted on Feb. 5, the day he was arrested.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Bookout’s ex-girlfriend contacted the Mountain Home Police Department in late December last year.
She reported Bookout was constantly harassing her by way of phone calls and texts.
Bookout is alleged to have told the woman he had made a sex tape of the two of them, when they were still in a relationship.
He is alleged to have threatened that if she did not agree to continue the sexual relationship with him, he would “ruin her life” with the tape.
Bookout is alleged to have sent screenshots of the alleged tape to the woman’s current boyfriend.
The victim said she had no knowledge that a recording device had been placed in the room where the sex occurred.
Several petitions were filed by the victim seeking orders of protection to stop Bookout from communicating with her in any way.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Bookout is alleged to have admitted sending the victim threatening messages.
A warrant was obtained for Bookout’s cellphone.
When the contents were examined, investigators found communications between Bookout and others regarding drug transactions.
They also located communications between Bookout, the ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend.
The phone contents were reported to “corroborate” what the victim had reported to police.
At the time the new charges were filed, Bookout was on probation in a 2017 case.
In that case, Bookout was charged with stealing a wallet out of a co-worker’s vehicle.
He was also charged with using a credit card issued to the company where he worked without authorization.
He pled to those charges in March 2018 and was put on probation for five years.
A petition to revoke his probation in the earlier case was filed on Feb. 11.
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