South Strabane man accused of secretly recording Peters police
Editor’s note: the charges in the below-associated case have been expunged.
A South Strabane Township man is facing multiple felony charges for allegedly secretly recording a conversation with a Peters Township police officer last month.
Mark Gabriel Brecht, 24, of 2003 E. Beau St., is known for his Washington car detailing shop, Rogue Dips, along with his YouTube channel Rogue 5.0. In the videos, Brecht and his girlfriend, Alison LeMire, record their detailing projects along with videos inside their pink Mustang while driving around Southwestern Pennsylvania. Many of their videos include encounters with local law enforcement, including North and South Strabane police.
At the end of a video posted Jan. 9, Brecht records a phone conversation with Peters Township police Cpl. Judd Emery. According to the complaint, Emery was unaware he was being recorded, in violation of Pennsylvania’s wiretap laws. In the video, Brecht is seen on a cellphone call with Emery, who had been put on speaker. During the Jan. 6 call, the two discussed a complaint Brecht had filed, which Emery was investigating. The video has been viewed more than 3,600 times, according to the criminal complaint.
Brecht is charged with intercepting communications, failure to disclose intercepted communications, criminal conspiracy to not disclose intercepted communications and criminal use of a communication facility, all third-degree felonies.