Police arrested a Mesa man who was suspected of secretly taking photos and recording videos of men in restrooms on ASU's campus in Tempe, an activity he later told police he was doing monthly for several years.
A man using the restroom inside the Noble Library reportedly discovered a suspicious person taking a picture over the stall at about 12:45 p.m. Aug. 25, according to Maricopa County court records. The man confronted the person and reported the incident to ASU Police, who tracked and found the person at the business college on campus.
The suspicious person, later identified as 33-year-old Christopher Michael Sutherland, was detained by police, and, after being read his Miranda rights, agreed to show police his cell phone containing multiple
photos and videos saved in a folder, court records stated.
The videos were recorded of men using the restroom, without them being aware, from either under or over the stall, according to the records.
During an interview with police, Sutherland said he went to the university "with the intent to film men inside of bathrooms," court records stated. "He said that is an 'urge' he gets and specifically comes to take videos."
Sutherland, who is not an ASU student, further told police that his recording in men's restrooms on campus has been an ongoing activity about once a month for the past five years, according to the records.
Sutherland was arrested shortly after 2 p.m. on suspicion of surreptitious viewing, and he was taken to the ASU PD Tempe station.
He was later booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of third-degree burglary, voyeurism, unlawful viewing/recording of a person, and second-degree criminal trespass, according to online jail records.
Sutherland is being held on $50,000 bond, and he is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 31.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU police arrest man suspected of secretly recording men in restrooms
