A Salem, Ore., man is accused of placing a hidden camera inside an employee restroom and recording people at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.
Jason D. Schultz, 50, appeared Wednesday morning via Zoom in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree voyeurism. Schultz is a registered sex offender in Oregon, according to court records.
Judge John Fairgrieve set his bail at $20,000. He will be arraigned June 4, court records show.
An employee apparently found the camera and reported it April 26 to the Vancouver Police Department. Investigators recovered deleted images from the camera, which included photos of the man whom they believe put it in the restroom, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Investigators identified the man as Schultz, who is seen wearing black scrubs and an ID badge, the affidavit says.
The affidavit does not say what Schultz’s relationship is to the hospital. But in an emailed statement Thursday, the hospital said the suspect was employed by a private company that provides dialysis services. The statement said the video recording device was found in a limited-access restroom in a locked unit of the hospital.
“PeaceHealth Southwest was made aware of the investigation and arrest on May 25, after which all access by the suspect to PeaceHealth was immediately suspended,” according to the statement.
A Clark County sheriff’s detective arrested Schultz in Vancouver on Tuesday as he was getting out of his car.
Court records state Schultz admitted to putting the camera in the restroom at PeaceHealth, as well as to putting a camera in the restroom of a private residence in Oregon.
“We take the safety and security of our employees and our facilities very seriously, and we are greatly disturbed by this gross invasion of privacy,” the hospital’s statement reads. “PeaceHealth Southwest is working with Vancouver police to identify, notify, and support any caregivers or other victims that may have been photographed.”
