Waukesha man, 18, accused of putting hidden cameras in Culver's bathroom, Waukesha West High School
WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A young Waukesha man is charged after putting hidden cameras in a Culver's bathroom.
Police say Scott Schwantes captured multiple indecent videos of coworkers going to the bathroom over a span of months, and saved many on his personal computer.
Two small, digital cameras with brown electrical tape were found last week, but police say videos inside the employee bathroom were taken as far back as April and May.
Scott Schwantes, 18, was immediately fired from Culvers after admitting he placed the cameras there.
"An employee using the restroom saw the flashing light, discovered the camera, quickly turned into management," said Lt. Kevin Rice, Waukesha Police
The manager called police. The owner of the Culvers on Sunset Drive told CBS 58 in a statement:
"It is the commitment of Culver's of Waukesha to ensure our place of employment is free of negative, aggressive or inappropriate behaviors. We aim to provide an atmosphere of respect, safety and equality. This incident is not reflective of our employment culture and such behavior will never be tolerated."
Police say the videos were only captured in the employee bathroom but say Schwantes detailed had plans to buy six more cameras and drawings on where he would place them in customer bathrooms.
The felony charges he's facing now may not be the only crimes committed.
Police are looking into upskirting videos of his classmates at Waukesha West High School and child porn. Schwantes graduated high school in the spring of 2018.
When police searched Schwantes' home on Tuesday, they found flash drives, computers, and laptops with hundreds of videos taken at Waukesha West High School over a year ago.
"He placed it on the backpack and the victims didn't know they were being videotaped," said Lt. Rice.
Police say it would have been difficult to spot the pen disguised as a camera used to record his classmates in the spring of 2017.
"Approximately 100 videos showed dozens of victims walking over a camera that Mr. Schwantes had placed in a backpack on a floor. The victims would unsuspectingly walk over the camera and would get videotaped under their clothing. This usually would occur with females wearing skirts or dresses," said Lt. Kevin Rice with the Waukesha Police Department.
Waukesha School District was not able to comment on the matter, but it is in their school handbook that no electronic devices are allowed during school, and that sexual harrassment isn't tolerated.
Police say it will take weeks to find out if he was sharing the videos.
"It is believed he was searching the dark web which is common for sexual predators or those having child porn to upload those to the dark web," said Rice.
Schwantes is charged with 4 counts of "capturing an intimate representation without consent." Three of those victims are his underage coworkers caught on video in the Culvers bathroom. The fourth count is from a video of Schwantes' cousin using the bathroom at his family home.
The 18-year-old posted $5,000 bash bail on Wednesday and has agreed not to use the internet and have no contact with females under the age of 18. He will be back in court on August 31st.
Waukesha Police would like to talk to any students that may have worn skirts or dresses and that had class with Schwantes during the Spring of 2017.