Bathroom Peeping Tom Convicted In Case Involving Teen: Howard County Prosecutor

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A 67-year-old man who followed a 16-year-old boy into a public men's restroom and watched the boy through the cracks of the bathroom stall door has been convicted on a peeping Tom charge.

On June 11, 2023, Bruce William Laidlaw of Baltimore was at the I-95 North Welcome Center and rest area in Savage. Around 7:40 p.m., Laidlaw followed the teenage boy into the men's restroom then pretended to use the sink to where he could see directly into the stall that the boy was using, according to the Howard County State's Attorney's Office.

The victim’s father caught Laidlaw in the act of crouching down and looking at the boy through the cracks of the door. The father yelled at Laidlaw three separate times to leave or he would call the police. The father and son then followed Laidlaw north on I-95 to photograph his vehicle registration and capture images of Laidlaw driving, according to the county state's attorney's office.

Laidlaw was convicted on charges of private place surveillance with prurient intent and peeping Tom. This case was investigated by the Maryland State Police ICAC Task Force. Laidlaw will be sentenced May 9.