South Franklin Township man accused of hiding camera under juvenile’s bed
A South Franklin Township man is facing charges after he was accused of recording a juvenile girl with a camera hidden under her bed.
Michael David Crispin was charged Monday by Greene Washington Regional Police Department with a felony of intercepting communications and a misdemeanor of possession of an instrument of crime.
According to the criminal complaint, the 12-year-old discovered the camera on Nov. 25. Charging documents describe the camera as a “toy camera” that had been placed in a cardboard box and disguised with black tape.
Police allege a U-shaped nail had been taped onto the recording button so the camera would continuously record.
According to the complaint, there were 163 videos on the camera taken on three different dates in November. Crispin allegedly appears in the videos as he sets up the camera, court documents state.
“This type of behavior is not only destructive to the victim, but to the community in which we live in. We will not tolerate this type of behavior in our community and will seek to prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law,” said Greene Washington Regional Police Department Chief William DeForte.
Crispin was arraigned Tuesday afternoon before District Judge John Bruner, who sent him to the Washington County jail on $15,000 bond.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Jan. 27.