ST. GEORGE — A 39-year-old man was arrested Saturday after allegedly placing hidden cameras in the bathroom of a St. George rental home to obtain video of the renters naked.
Investigators responded Friday to a report that the renters of a five-bedroom luxury villa at The Ledges in St. George found two cameras concealed in an upstairs bathroom, according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.
One camera was hidden behind a toilet and pointed toward the shower, the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement. The other camera was hidden behind a trash can and pointed toward the area a person would have to walk to access the shower.
When questioned by police, the homeowners stated they hadn’t put the cameras in the home, according to the statement. They gave investigators permission to collect the cameras and secure digital cards found inside.
“Investigators later received a phone call from one of the renters stating a James Larsen had confessed to everyone that he had placed the cameras in the bathroom,” the officer wrote in the statement.
During an interview with police, James Steven Larsen, 39, of Magna who is acquainted with the renters, allegedly admitted to buying the cameras and placing them with the intent to obtain nude video of individuals in the home.
“Investigators viewed the videos on the SD card and found several videos that had adult women nude as they were showering and using the bathroom,” the officer stated. “There were two videos that showed young male children bathing completely naked. The children appeared to be younger than ten years old. One video showed one child while another video showed two children.”
Larsen was subsequently arrested Saturday and transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.
The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Larsen of third-degree felony voyeurism committed against a child under 14 years of age, along with three class A misdemeanor counts of voyeurism by concealed electronic equipment.
Larsen was released from police custody on $36,950 bail pending trial. He is scheduled to appear before 5th District Judge Eric A. Ludlow Friday for his initial court appearance.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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That would be a terrible feeling to realize you been filmed that way. I hope they go after this guy in civil court too and bankrupt him. Guy is a predator
Ledges means Money— If Hes got the money he will walk with a spanking. But Yes I agree a Sick predator
true, if he throws enough cash at it, and can prove his LDS worthiness to the court he’ll likely get a misdemenor wrist slap, and no sex offender registry
if he doesn’t have an LDS get-out-of-jail-free card to play (temple recommend) they could actually get him for production of child porn, considering where he put the cameras.