A chemistry teacher has been charged with two counts of voyeurism after he was caught secretly recording his male roommate in their bathroom.
Jonathon Downing is a professor at North Idaho College who’s been charged after he recorded his male roommate and his girlfriend, according to news outlet KXLY.
The roommate, who was a former student, shared that Downing would make sexual comments towards him despite the roommate being straight. This eventually led to him becoming suspicious.
The roommate then discovered a pinhole camera in the bathroom wall. After then searching through their shared computer, the victim found videos and images of himself and his girlfriend naked.
This led to a call to the police and the quick questioning of Downing by the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.
During questioning, Downing admitted that he had intentionally placed the camera in the bathroom to record his roommate without his clothes. He also said that he didn’t mean to record the girlfriend.
It was then that the police arrested and booked Downing into the Kootenai County Jail on a bail bond set at $35,000 with two counts of Video Voyeurism.
On top of that, Downing was an advisor for the North Idaho College Gender and Sexuality Alliance, which promotes creating safe spaces for LGBTQ people. Downing had even previously stated that he would host for any of the members who needed to get away.
The group later posted to Facebook to address Downing charges.
In addition, the North Idaho College sent an email to all students stating that Downing has been suspended from the college “pending the outcome of law enforcement’s investigation and NIC’s personnel process.”
“With an ongoing felony investigation and other personnel matters, we are limited in what we can share, but North Idaho College is committed to insuring an environment that creates trust and safety for our students, employees, and our community.”
Now, the police are investigating the situation and are asking any former roommates or house guests of Downing to speak to them.
