Authorities confirmed the videos show a female who is showering and doesn’t seem to know a camera is filming her. They found 20 similar videos that appear to be taken from the camera in the ceiling. — Image by user18526052 on Freepik
A man accused of placing a hidden camera in a Champions area townhouse and recording videos of his neighbour in the shower was arrested Jan 12, court documents show.
Brian Burnette is charged with invasive visual recording and was released Jan 16 on US$5,000 (RM21,365) bond.
His attorney, Penny Wymyczak-White, maintains Burnette is innocent. Wymyczak-White said she believes a camera was found, but that it was not placed there by her client.
“He’s innocent, a very decent man and he’s been convicted by everyone; every news station is there with a camera in face likes he’s a monster. No, he’s not a monster,” Wymyczak-White said.
Court documents state that a resident in the same townhouse complex as Burnette, on Strack Road, noticed holes in the ceiling of her bathroom in November. A couple weeks later, the resident invited her friend over and told him about the holes in the ceiling. Upon checking the attic, her friend discovered a camera with a power supply and SD card aimed down over her bathroom.
Her friend removed the SD card and inserted it into his phone and found “multiple videos of the victim taking showers”, court documents detail. Her friend also saw a video of “a man installing cameras in the attic”. He identified the man as her neighbour, Burnette, who he’d seen several times before when visiting.
The resident told the townhome landlord last month that she believed Burnette tore down the drywall upstairs and placed a camera, court documents state. The landlord informed the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities confirmed the videos show a female who is showering and doesn’t seem to know a camera is filming her. They found 20 similar videos that appear to be taken from the camera in the ceiling. One video allegedly showed a man setting up the camera, court documents state.
Initially, the conditions of Burnette’s bond prohibited him from being within 200 feet of the townhomes. Burnette appeared in court today for his bond hearing and was permitted by the judge to return to his property, according to Wymyczak-White.
Burnette’s arraignment is scheduled for April 12. – The Houston Chronicle/Tribune News Service
