Woman Discovers Hidden Camera in Her Bedroom

Carpinteria - July22nd, 2010

A Carpinteria man is in custody this afternoon suspected of placing a hidden camera on a bookshelf to secretly record a woman in her own bedroom.

On July 17, 2010, the 30-year old victim from Carpinteria discovered that a camera had been hidden in a book that had been placed on her bookshelf.  She found that a hole had been cut near the spine of Chicken Soup for the Soul.  She opened the book and discovered the camera which had been aimed at the victim’s bed. The video contained both audio and visual recordings of the victim and her boyfriend in her bedroom, while they were talking and in various states of undress.

An investigation into this crime revealed that the victim was an acquaintance of the suspect, Donald Lee Bedford (DOB 10/23/55). A family member of the victim is a friend of Bedford.  On July 22, 2010, Sheriff’s detectives from the Carpinteria Station served a search warrant on Bedford’s house in Carpinteria. During the warrant search, detectives seized computers and other electronics items from the residence.

Sheriff’s Detectives arrested Donald Lee Bedford and booked him into the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of PC 647(j)(3)(a) – a felony, and PC 632 –a misdemeanor.  His bail is set at $20,000.

632(a) every person who, intentionally and without the consent of all parties to a confidential communication, by means of any electronic amplifying or recording device, eavesdrops upon or records the confidential communication, whether the communication is carried on among the parties in the presence of one another or by means of a telegraph, telephone, or other device, except a radio.

647(j)(3)(A)  Any person who uses a concealed camcorder, motion picture camera, or photographic camera of any type, to secretly videotape, film, photograph, or record by electronic means, another,

identifiable person who may be in a state of full or partial undress, for the purpose of viewing the body of, or the undergarments worn by, that other person, without the consent or knowledge of that other

person, in the interior of a bedroom, bathroom, changing room, fitting room, dressing room, or tanning booth, or the interior of any other area in which that other person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, with the intent to invade the privacy of that other person.

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