James Reed
James Reed

Man Allegedly Taped People In Bathroom Since 1997

Thursday,  September 10, 2009 12:44 PM

Updated: Thursday,  September 10, 2009 7:05 PM

Video Slideshow
LAURELVILLE, Ohio — A man faces several charges after Hocking County deputies said he admitted to secretly videotaping people including at least one minor in his bathroom for more than a decade, 10TV's Andy Hirsch reported on Thursday.

Authorities said they began investigating James Reed, 50, after a teenager discovered evidence of the recordings.

Inside Reed's home, deputies said they recovered more than 200 DVDs, videotapes, hard drives and other storage devices.  Contained in the footage were images of people in various stages of nudity as they used Reed's bathroom.

SLIDESHOW: Images Of Cameras

One of the recordings showed a 7-year-old girl, deputies said. 

10TV is not releasing any additional information about the alleged victims in order to protect their identities.

Investigators said Reed hid a wireless camera in a piece of styrofoam and another behind a vent.  The cameras were wired to a VCR.

"It was basic yet sophisticated," said Hocking County Sheriff's Detective Ed Downs.  "The guy definitely knew what he was doing with cameras.  He was very intelligent when it came to the operations of cameras and computers."

Deputies said they also discovered child pornography videos downloaded to Reed's computer.  They do not believe he distributed any of the material, Hirsch reported.

Watch 10TV News and refresh 10TV.com for additional information.

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