Friday, May 11, 2007
FARMINGDALE - State and federal authorities arrested a Farmingdale man Thursday on charges of violating his children's privacy by videotaping them without their knowledge while they were using the bathroom.
John Harrison, 50, was taken to the Kennebec County jail and charged with two misdemeanors: violation of privacy and possession of sexually explicit materials. Each charge carries a top penalty of 364 days in jail.
State police began investigating Harrison this week when a motorist with a wireless monitor in his vehicle drove through Farmingdale and saw an apparently live broadcast of a person using a toilet. The motorist told state police.
Armed with a similar monitor, police cruised Maine Avenue, catching glimpses being broadcast from the inside of a home and pinpointing the address.
They first talked to Harrison on Tuesday. He told them he had been using wireless cameras to record bathroom use and that his three minor children, ages 9 through 15, were unaware of the recordings. An adult daughter also lives there, police said.
Harrison's wife, Mary, contacted by police at work, told them she knew there was a camera in the bathroom but didn't know it was recording.
"Mr. Harrison showed me two VCRs in two rooms with two separate receivers for the cameras," state police Detective Sgt. Glenn Lang wrote in an affidavit submitted to obtain a search warrant. "Mr. Harrison said the cameras were being recorded all day to the VCRs. He said he had recorded videos of his children in the bathroom, but would fast forward through that section of the videotapes."
Harrison told police he also had a camera in a bedroom.
A day later, police searched the property and seized computer equipment, digital cameras, computer records and other items.
"We have a mountain of material to go through," Lang said.
Lang, who is supervisor of the computer crimes unit, said the case is unusual.
"We've had some people tell us while they've been driving down the road, they have seen images from inside a bathroom," he said. "And we've had people record their kids in the bathroom, but we've never had a combination of both." He said the wireless transmitter sent the images outside.
"(Harrison) didn't have any idea it had the range it has," Lang said.
Lang said the investigation was done in cooperation with the Secret Service. Federal charges could be added to the state charges, Lang said.
He also said investigators called the state Department of Health and Human Services because of the children. The children were still in the home Thursday, Lang said.
Questions/Comments
Reader comments
Sort by: Oldest first | Newest First
But what's raising my eyebrows more is why someone would be watching a wireless video device (that is not a standard item in a vehicle) while driving a a moving vehicle. That in itself is highly questionable and the person should be held accountable for driving to endanger (because of the distraction) and possibly even for being a peeping tom.
DVD players and backup cameras are hard wired, not wireless, so wouldn't have picked up the signal. Satellite navigation devices use different frequencies so wouldn't have picked up the signal from a wireless camera unless they're intentionally altered.
No normal person cruises neighborhoods while watching wireless monitoring devices unless they're snooping.
report abuse
Show all 32 comments
You must be a registered user of MaineToday.com to post a comment. Register or log in.