Plano Star-courier > Cops
Man indicted in hidden camera case
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@starlocalnews.com
PLANO -- The man Plano Police say is responsible for placing a hidden camera in a changing room at Oak Point Recreation Center has been indicted by a Collin County Grand Jury.
Christopher Furber, a 44-year-old Garland resident, has been charged with improper photography or visual recording, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Furber was arrested in December after police released a photo captured on the camera they say he installed.
On Nov. 18, a hidden camera disguised as an air freshener was discovered inside a stall at the recreation center. Officer David Tilley of the Plano Police Department said the camera had been up for about an hour when it was discovered by a family that was using the changing room. Once the camera's footage was reviewed, several images of Furber were located.
The affidavit supporting the arrest warrant said the family was in the changing room when a 4-year-old boy knocked the "air freshener" off the wall, revealing it was actually a camera. The family alerted the staff at the recreation center, who in turn contacted Plano PD.
The affidavit also details some of the images from the camera. The 10-year-old sister of the boy who discovered the camera was videotaped changing from her bathing suit into her regular clothes, the affidavit said. No other images from the camera, which was placed in the recreation center during a youth swimming competition, were mentioned in the affidavit.
During a search of Furber's Garland residence on Dec. 6, police discovered 17 cameras, some of which were motion-activated, as well as several computers, external hard drives and multiple camera memory cards. Tilley said the department looked for additional cameras placed in city facilities, but found none.
The crime of improper photography or visual recording is relatively new, having been added to the Texas Penal Code in 2001. The statute says a person commits the offense if they photograph a person without their consent with the intent to invade the person's privacy or for sexual gratification.
Christopher Furber, a 44-year-old Garland resident, has been charged with improper photography or visual recording, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Furber was arrested in December after police released a photo captured on the camera they say he installed.
On Nov. 18, a hidden camera disguised as an air freshener was discovered inside a stall at the recreation center. Officer David Tilley of the Plano Police Department said the camera had been up for about an hour when it was discovered by a family that was using the changing room. Once the camera's footage was reviewed, several images of Furber were located.
The affidavit supporting the arrest warrant said the family was in the changing room when a 4-year-old boy knocked the "air freshener" off the wall, revealing it was actually a camera. The family alerted the staff at the recreation center, who in turn contacted Plano PD.
The affidavit also details some of the images from the camera. The 10-year-old sister of the boy who discovered the camera was videotaped changing from her bathing suit into her regular clothes, the affidavit said. No other images from the camera, which was placed in the recreation center during a youth swimming competition, were mentioned in the affidavit.
During a search of Furber's Garland residence on Dec. 6, police discovered 17 cameras, some of which were motion-activated, as well as several computers, external hard drives and multiple camera memory cards. Tilley said the department looked for additional cameras placed in city facilities, but found none.
The crime of improper photography or visual recording is relatively new, having been added to the Texas Penal Code in 2001. The statute says a person commits the offense if they photograph a person without their consent with the intent to invade the person's privacy or for sexual gratification.
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