Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Ohio police notify women secretly taped by accused voyeur

John Hayes allegedly taped as many as 50 victims — including his wife — without their knowledge, police say. Cops were looking for child porn on suspects computer when they discovered the nude female images.

John W. Hayes is charged with two counts of voyeurism according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities in Ohio believe as many as 50 women might have been secretly taped in the privacy of their homes by a voyeur who had thousands of images of nude females stored on his computer.



John W. Hayes, 39, of Grandview Heights, near Columbus, has been charged with two counts of voyeurism.

The charges came after the Franklin County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant on Hayes’ quiet suburban home, looking for child pornography.

There were no reports of child porn found, but investigators seized Hayes’ computer and discovered dozens of videos and 15,000 images of women in various states of undress. Some of the videos showed adult men and women engaged in sexual activity, WBNS-TV reported.

Hayes’ wife was among those secretly taped, officials said.

The videos appeared to have been recorded through the victims' windows and without their knowledge, NBC affiliate WCMH-TV reported.

Police believe Hayes may have followed some of his victims, learning their personal patterns so he would know when to capture them undressing.

Police also want women who might recognize Hayes, or who have ever felt like they were being watched, to come in.

“We’re hoping that people watch the news and say ‘yeah I know that guy,’ or maybe felt like at some point ‘I felt like I was being observed but I thought I was just being paranoid,’” Sheriff Zach Scott said at a press conference.

“You may have been being observed,” Scott said.

The videos and images seized from Hayes’ computer appear to be categorized by the location where they were filmed, authorities said.

Neighbors found the accusations unsettling.

“I’ll be a little more careful,” resident Meredith Trapp told WBNS. “You perceive this to be a safe neighborhood, and you tend not to lock your doors. I imagine I’ll be thinking about it now.”

So far, two possible victims have come forward.

Police believe there are almost 50 others.

It was unclear if Hayes had obtained an attorney or how he intends to plead to the voyeurism charges.

Hayes is the father of two children, officials said.

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