Crime
Florida Man Allegedly Hid Camera In Bathroom At Doggy Day Care
The owner of a doggie daycare in Florida, who is also a former police officer, is facing charges after employees allegedly found a hidden camera in a bathroom, authorities said.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to the Dog Dayz Inn on Edgewater Canal Road in New Smyrna Beach on Sept. 7 after employees reported finding a camera hidden in an electrical outlet in a bathroom.
Detectives with the Child Exploitation Unit executed a search warrant at the facility and launched an investigation. The owner, 59-year-old Donald Hemphill, allegedly admitted installing the camera four or five months ago.
Investigators found multiple videos from the hidden camera on his phone, including videos of “unknowing female subjects in stages of undress,” one of whom was a child.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood revealed at a press conference on Tuesday that Hemphill is a former Illinois police officer. Body-worn camera video of Hemphill’s arrest shows him wearing a “thin blue line” flag patch honoring law enforcement.
Photos shared by the sheriff’s office show the hidden camera connected to the electrical outlet.
Hemphill was charged with 10 counts of digital voyeurism and 11 counts of video voyeurism of a child. He was being held in the Volusia County Branch jail with no bond.
