Lake Wales physician makes 1st court appearance after arrest for secretly recording juvenile in office
LAKE WALES, Fla. - A physician in Lake Wales who was arrested for secretly recording a juvenile in a changing room within his office made his first appearance in court on Tuesday.
According to the Lake Wales Police Department, detectives launched an investigation into Dr. Pola Gayed DPT of Ava Rehab Clinic and later arrested him on charges of video voyeurism of a juvenile.
READ: Lake Wales physician arrested for secretly recording changing room in his office
They had learned Dr. Gayed had asked a 16-year-old girl to get undressed and put on a gown before receiving treatment. He then directed the juvenile to an exam room where, once undressed, she noticed a partially hidden Ring Camera with the blue record light on, according to police.
Gayed made his first appearance in court on Tuesday.
'To start with, it's disgusting [that] somebody would go to this level to breach that trust where you're supposed to get help, and you're victimized," said Deputy Chief Troy Schulze of the Lakes Wales Police Department.
Police say she continued her appointment without mentioning the camera, but Gayed noticed her behavior was off. Once she left the exam room, police say Gayed took the camera offline and deleted the footage.
Photo courtesy: Lake Wales Police Department
The following day, the victim told her parents, who filed a police report.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant and arrested Gayed on Monday afternoon for video voyeurism and tampering with evidence, both of which are third-degree felonies. Detectives also searched the clinic where they recovered the Ring Camera from the changing room.
Photo courtesy: Lake Wales Police Department
"When our guys went into the make the arrest on the 29th, that Ring camera was back in the same location again just prior to our victim's appointment," said Schulze.
Gayed's bond was set at $25,000, and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
This remains an active investigation, and police say more charges are anticipated as the case progresses. LWPD asks anyone with information on the crime to contact them at 863-678-4223.