WEIRTON, W.Va. (WTRF) — A West Virginia dentist has turned himself in after employees allegedly said they found a water bottle containing a hidden surveillance camera in a bathroom.
Weirton police said an employee with Crow Dental Associates reported to the police that she found a water bottle containing a camera in the staff-only bathroom May 14.
During the nearly three-month investigation by Weirton Police Department detectives, at least 10 female employees said they saw the same water bottle device in the bathroom.
Police Chief Charlie Kush said he understands this comes as a shock to the community and the patients under the care of Crow Dental Associates.
“We don’t have any current evidence that there were any surveillance cameras or anything of that nature placed into the bathroom for the patients, for the public,” Kush said.
On Monday, Dr. Jeremy Michael Crow, 45, of Washington, Pennsylvania, turned himself into the Weirton Police Department and was charged with 39 misdemeanor counts of criminal invasion of privacy.
If found guilty, he faces up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine for each count.
Crow was arraigned at the Hancock County Magistrate Court and released on a $20,000 bond.
Although the alleged crimes took place in Brooke County, Crow was arrested in Hancock, which means his arraignment had to happen there as well, according to Kush.
The case is being handled by the Brooke County prosecutor, and a pretrial hearing is expected to be scheduled within the next two weeks.
“Our detectives conducted a thorough investigation, working very closely with the Brooke County prosecutor’s office, because this is where the crime occurred. They had to go through a lot of evidence and talk to a lot of people. So, it did take time. But we feel very confident in the warrants that were obtained,” Kush said.
The police chief told NewsNation affiliate WTRF that many community members are concerned about the charges only being misdemeanors and not felonies. He says it’s West Virginia law and this is the harshest punishment for the crimes Crow allegedly committed.
In a statement, Crow’s lawyer Robert McCoid called the case “thin soup at best.”
“We are eager to test the prosecution’s evidence in the courtroom and look forward to his acquittal before a jury of his peers,” McCoid said in the statement. “In the meantime, Dr. Crow will continue as usual to provide the top-flight dental care to his patients that they have grown to expect and appreciate.”
Crow’s office is currently closed for vacation but is expected to be open Tuesday.
