Police Say Camera on Selfie Stick Used to Spy on Woman: ICYMI

A Bethesda man charged with illegally using a camera on a selfie stick to spy on a woman in a third-floor apartment reportedly told police he was conducting surveillance.

Montgomery County Police say Donald Beard, 60, of 10630 Montrose Ave. in Bethesda, attached a camera to a pole. Beard went out to his second floor balcony and held the pole up so his camera could film and photograph the woman who lived upstairs.

According to court records, the intrusion took place between September 2013 and May 2015.

The victim called police after she spotted the camera aimed through her window in October, 2014. Detectives found 16 videos of the woman, one of which showed her topless, on Beard’s electronic gear and computer.

When questioned by police about his camera use, Beard claimed it was “for investigative purposes” because the single woman was spending time with married men. Beard allegedly wanted to catch the victim in the act, WJLA says.

Police searched Beard ‘s apartment on Nov. 4, 2014, and seized several electronic devices for analysis. The results of the analysis, completed in May 2015, yielded numerous audio and video recordings of the female victim, dating from September of 2013.

Investigators say Beard used an audio recorder outside the woman’s front door to capture conversations taking place inside her home. Beard also attached a camera to a selfie stick in order to position the camera in front of the victim’s sliding glass door and record video of her in her apartment.

Beard is charged with use of a camera in a private residence, visual surveillance in a private area, and two counts of interception of communication, according to Maryland online court records.

He was released on bond pending a trial scheduled for July 23.