Woman finds camera in bathroom USB charger, US cops say. Roommate arrested

The woman noticed the device directly across from the shower at the Sebastopol home she shared with the man and several women, according to a Dec 8 Facebook post from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. — Photo by Zac Gudakov on Unsplash

A man was arrested after one of his roommates discovered a camera hidden in a USB charger in her bathroom, California authorities said.

The woman noticed the device directly across from the shower at the Sebastopol home she shared with the man and several women, according to a Dec 8 Facebook post from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

“The device looked identical to a USB charger, except it had a small camera and a memory card,” the sheriff’s office said.

After calling the sheriff’s office on Nov 23, the woman met with a deputy at a “nearby police station because she no longer felt comfortable in her home”, the sheriff’s office said.

From a “full forensic download of the memory card,” deputies found images of the man “handling and installing the camera in the bathroom,” as well as images of the female roommates, the sheriff’s office said.

The 49-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday, Dec 7, and booked into jail on counts of “invasion of privacy and invasion of privacy using a hidden recording device,” according to the sheriff’s office. He has since posted US$10,000 (RM44,035) bail.

“Ultimately, all (of) the women moved out of the house,” the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office post added that the incident “highlights challenges our society is facing as production technology and the size and capabilities of electronic recording devices becomes more advanced”.

Sebastopol is about 55 miles northwest of San Francisco. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service