Video recorders found in portable bathrooms at metro-east church; suspect caught
A person who police say is responsible for planting two video recording devices in portable toilets at a church is being held by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect’s name has not been announced because charges are pending, according to a news release Tuesday from Sheriff Dan Travous.
Travous called this a “gross violation of privacy.”
Clinton County dispatch was contacted Saturday by St. Rose officials who reported having found video recording devices in portable bathroom facilities at the St. Rose Church picnic, Travous said.
After what Travous called a thorough investigation by his detectives, a suspect was arrested Monday afternoon. The person is on a felony hold at the jail pending charges from the state’s attorney’s office.
The two recording devices were located in the portable bathroom that is on the north side of the school gymnasium, the release said.
The sheriff said he had been tight lipped about the investigation until Tuesday because feared the suspect might flee the area.
In the news release, Travous said he is confident they have the responsible person in custody, but more work needs to be done before the case is presented to the state attorney’s office.
“Please understand this is still a very active investigation and I can only share limited information. However, I felt due to the very personal nature of this case it was incredibly important to release at least a small portion of what we know,” Travous said in the news release.
The data from the devices was not transferred in any way or seen by anyone other than the detectives who are handling the investigation, Travous said.
Also because of the low lighting in the portable bathroom, the videos are almost completely dark and no one is recognizable, Travous said.
The sheriff said he can not yet release a time line about when police think the devices were active because the investigation is still underway.
“I hope to be able to release that information in the coming days,” he said.
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 5:46 PM.
