Father Charged As Peeping Tom For Shower Video

An Abingdon man is facing sex abuse and peeping tom charges after allegedly taking video of his daughter while she showered.

Patch is not naming the accused or the victim for the victim's protection.

A 42-year-old Abingdon man was charged Saturday with sex abuse of a minor, peeping tom and a related charge or prurient intent in a private place. He was released from the Harford County Detention Center Wednesday after posting $100,000 bond.

The charges stem from an incident that took place in early November.

On Nov. 28, a 16-year-old girl told members of the Harford County Child Advocacy Center she was showering earlier that month when she noticed the shower plunger was out of place, according to charging documents.

The girl reached for the plunger, which was in a cubby above the toilet, and noticed her father's iPod touch was behind a basket in the cubby recording her, charging documents state.

The girl told investigators the most recent video showed her father putting the video in the same place she found it, according to charging documents. The girl told investigators she deleted the video without watching anymore because she felt disgusted that she had been recorded.

The girl said the previous image on the iPod showed her father holding his genitals, according to charging documents.

The girl then confronted her father, who told her he was embarrased and asked her not to tell her mother, according to charging documents.

The 42-year-old went on to say "he was a looker not a toucher" and was not attracted to her, but wanted to see what she looked like, according to charging documents.

When detectives spoke with the girl's father two days later, the man allegedly admitted he planted the video device because he wanted to see how she developed, according to charging documents.

He went on to say he felt aroused by getting caught, has a problem with voyerism and the incident was not the first time he had photographed or shot video of someone without their knowledge, charging documents state.