A Chevy Chase man is accused of placing a camera in a unisex bathroom at a Silver Spring gymnastics center for kids, police said Friday.
Jonathan Oldale, 54, of Greystone Court, allegedly left a backpack containing a recording camera in the bathroom of Silver Star Gymnastics and Fitness Club in May, according to Montgomery County police. His children were enrolled in classes there, police said.
After searching his computer, police found videos of children urinating in bathrooms, but said they believe he downloaded them and did not record them. Detectives have not located any videos of people being recorded in the Silver Spring gymnastics studio.
An employee of the Pitman Drive club called police May 5 to report a “suspicious situation,” according to police.
The employee told police that he found a backpack on the floor of the club’s unisex bathroom about three weeks before and noticed it contained cords and wires. When the employee left the bathroom, Oldale approached him, said the bag belonged to him and took it, according to police.
On May 5, the employee found the same backpack under a “Wet Floor” sign on the floor of the bathroom, according to police. He looked closer and saw a camera had been placed inside what looked like a car key fob in the backpack.
The camera was hot to the touch and a light on it was illuminated, suggesting it was on, he told police.
The employee took the camera off the backpack and waited to see if anyone would take the bag back, according to police. Oldale took the bag from the restroom, he told police. Oldale then approached the front-desk receptionist twice to ask if anyone turned in a key fob.
Police obtained a search warrant for Oldale’s home and vehicle. In his car, detectives found an instruction manual for a key fob camera, according to police.
On his computer, they found two videos of “two unidentified females who appear to be school-age being surreptitiously recorded while they were urinating in a bathroom,” police wrote.
Police said the videos appeared to have been downloaded from the internet and not recorded by Oldale.
Police obtained a warrant for Oldale’s arrest on Oct. 11, and Oldale turned himself in on Oct. 18, according to police.
Oldale faces charges of conducting visual surveillance of another person in a private place without consent, according to court records. He was released on bail.
Police have asked anyone with information about the investigation to call police at 240-773-6710 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Solvers of Montgomery County at 866-411-TIPS.