Lincolnton man accused of pointing camera toward bathroom stall

LINCOLNTON, N.C. — A Lincolnton man is accused of pointing a camera toward a women's bathroom stall to shoot video.

The woman who found the phone told Eyewitness News she's too upset to talk on camera. She said she discovered it in the bathroom of an employees only section at the Brian Center.

The employee who police say put it there is now out of a job and in jail.

Police said Rainelle Tadeja has never been in serious trouble. But they said he confessed to putting the phone in the bathroom.

Women Eyewitness News talked to on Tuesday were stunned.

“I am totally shocked, totally shocked that someone would invade your privacy like that,” Mae Irving said.

Police said Tadeja put the phone there last week.

Another employee told police something in the shadows caught her eye.

“She bends down and was surprised to see her face,” said Lt. Brian Greene with the Lincolnton Police Department.

Greene said the cell phone was recording her.

She said she played the recording back and saw another familiar face, Tadeja, a co-worker.

“It shows him set up the video,” Greene said.

Investigators said the lens was focused on a toilet in the women's restroom, but the image was partially blocked so the video only captured a woman walking in.

“There wasn't any necessarily a target. Just any female who used the bathroom was the target,” Greene said.

Greene said there is no evidence that Tadeja planned to sell the video or post it online.

“We believe it was for his own personal use,” he said.

Police said they checked Tedeja's phone for other similar images, but didn't find any.

Eyewitness News called managers at the Brian Center to see if they're doing anything differently because of the incident. They said they cannot comment out of respect for the employee involved.

WSOC