Waukegan man charged in RecPlex hidden camera case
Posted: Apr 10, 2014 7:01 PM CDT | Updated: Nov 5, 2014 2:03 PM CDT
PLEASANT PRAIRIE -- 36-year-old Karl Landt of Waukegan, Illinois has been charged in Kenosha County for allegedly capturing images of underage females using hidden camera in a RecPlex locker room.
27-year-old Melissa Wenckenbach of Pleasant Prairie was arrested a day before Landt in regards to these hidden cameras. She admitted to police she brought the cameras into the locker room for her co-worker Karl Landt.
Police say two cameras were installed in January of 2014 when Wenckenbach became a member. The cameras were found by a gym member on April 7, 2014. Police say the cameras were hidden in one upper locker and one lower locker.
The complaint says she initially told investigators she only brought the cameras into the locker room ten times. She later admitted to bringing them five to six times a week, and increased her estimate to 40-50 recordings. Investigators identified eleven different nude women featured in these recordings. Three of those eleven were minors.
Wenckenbach claims she felt pressured by Landt to continue bringing cameras into the women's locker room. Investigators were given permission to view Wenckenbach's personal e-mails. In one e-mail sent on April 2, 2014, Landt scolded Wenckenbach for the positioning of a camera. He told her to fix it or \"we are going to have major issues.\"
Investigators continue to examine how the videos were used, and if they were distributed.
RecPlex says children involved in before and after school programs use the family locker room. The cameras were only in the women's locker room. RecPlex staff has increased inspections of locker rooms since the cameras were discovered.