In Louisiana in mid-February, a man was reported for allegedly peering into the homes of strangers while he was dressed in a full gorilla costume.
A concerned citizen called for police assistance when they believed they had witnessed someone dressed in black that was looking inside of people’s homes without their knowledge.
When the authorities arrived in the reported vicinity of the alleged peeping-Tom activities they came across a man decked out in a black, furry gorilla costume.
Derek Starnes and his wife rented a condominium on Longboat Key, FL through Airbnb based partly on over 40 positive reviews posted on the site regarding the property. A day after checking into the rental Starnes who has a career in IT saw something amiss with one of the smoke detectors. Upon inspection he discovered it was a hidden security camera with a microphone pointed directly at their bed in the master bedroom.
Starnes called the police and they seized all computer equipment capable of storing data. A second camera was discovered in the living room.
The owner of the property, 56-year-old Wayne Natt, was taken into custody and charged with one count of video voyeurism. Natt’s Airbnb listing has been active for two years and police are investigating the possibility of others affected by the alleged breach of privacy. “We don’t know if there are local victims, someone who may have been dating him or a companion that doesn’t realize they are being videotaped, and then we have the other side of who he rented to through Airbnb,” said Lt. Bob Bourque.
The owner of a bar is defending the presence of a 2-way mirror in the women’s restroom of his Illinois establishment. According to the owner, the mirror is part of a “fun house gag” and is not a crime.
The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog