University's Diving Coach Faces Peeping Tom, Other Charges

A Baltimore grand jury has indicted the diving coach at Towson University on peeping Tom and other charges after a smartphone was discovered last month in the women’s swim and dive team locker room, according to media reports.

The coach, Maureen Mead, 43, also was charged by the grand jury Monday with interception of communication and altering physical evidence. Mead is accused of performing visual surveillance in a private place without a person’s consent and destroying the evidence, WMAR-TV Channel 2 (ABC2) reported.

The Towson University Police Department began an investigation after the smartphone was discovered Oct. 16 inside the swimming and diving team’s Burdick Pool locker room. The device apparently had been capturing video and audio recordings of the student-athletes, the university said in a statement.

One parent of a female team member told ABC2 that at least seven athletes were recorded either naked or partially naked, and that the team members stopped the recording, viewed it, and handed it over to the head coach.

The same parent said that Mead called the students in individually and said she would do nothing to harm them, ABC2 reported.

The university has placed Mead on administrative leave, and a spokeswoman said it has taken steps to ensure the security of the swimming and diving team. University officials have been meeting weekly with the team to give updates on the situation, and they told ABC2 there’s nothing to suggest that the smartphone was used anywhere else.

In addition, Towson police are investigating other members of the coaching staff who have also been placed on administrative leave, according to ABC2.