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City employee accused of taking video of young girl
Ken Suarez reports
LAKELAND, Fla. - A 40-year-old man who works as a parking services supervisor for the city of Lakeland was accused of recording a 16-year-old while she was in the bathroom, and was charged with video voyeurism.
According to detectives, they began investigating on Monday after they received a report. During the investigation, they said they learned the suspect, John Yancey, placed a cell phone in the victim's bathroom and positioned it on the vanity to record her.
When the victim discovered it, police said, she noticed it was actively recording and captured her undressing to take a shower. They said there were up to six videos that were recorded between Sept. 13 and Oct. 6.
In several videos, Yancey could be seen placing the cell phone on the bathroom vanity before the victim entered the bathroom. Detectives said he would kneel in front of the camera, exposing his face, possibly in an effort to test the vantage point of the camera.
Booking image for John Yancey
According to his arrest affidavit, detectives said it was common for the victim to let Yancey know where she will take a shower in order to have her own privacy.
Detectives did not say how Yancey had access to the bathroom or his relationship to the victim.
At first, during an interview with Yancey, detectives said he denied any wrongdoing and said he accidentally left his cell phone in the bathroom.
However, they said after showing him the videos, he asked for a lawyer.
According to the city of Lakeland, Yancey was originally hired on Aug. 14, 2017. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave following his arrest.