REYNOLDSVILLE BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) – A local man is accused of using a hidden camera to watch a 19-year-old female shower at a residence in Reynoldsville Borough.
According to court documents, DuBois-based State Police filed criminal charges against 50-year-old John Robert Chesnalavich Jr., of Reynoldsville, in Magisterial District Judge David B. Inzana’s office on Monday, August 14.
According to a criminal complaint, on Saturday, August 5, a known female complainant contacted PSP DuBois to report an invasion of privacy incident.
The complainant reported that on August 5, John Chesnalavich had a hidden camera in the bathroom and was watching it as a 19-year-old female was in the bathtub without her knowledge or consent, the complaint states.
The complainant advised this incident occurred at a residence in Reynoldsville Borough, Jefferson County, the complaint indicates.
On August 7, troopers contacted the complainant, who informed them that the victim was taking a bath/shower and her husband was in the bedroom next to the bathroom. The complainant stated she walked into the bedroom, and she observed Chesnalavich standing in the closet door area and he was masturbating while viewing content on his cell phone, the complaint notes.
The complainant further advised that Chesnalavich had wires attached to his cell phone and once she walked in, he began ripping at the wires that were in the closet, the complaint states.
The complainant advised she suspected what Chesnalavich was doing, and she instructed him to leave the residence and he eventually did, the complaint indicates.
Police were informed that the wire(s) that Chesnalavich was ripping from the closet wall had a camera at the other end. She said a hole was discovered in the bathroom the victim was utilizing where the camera would have been, and it was pointed in the direction of the bathtub/shower and toilet, the complaint notes.
Troopers then interviewed the victim, who related she was in the bathroom and just getting out of the shower when she heard verbal fighting, the complaint states.
The victim advised that she got dressed and went to her room and the complainant came to her and informed her what Chesnalavich did. The victim related she was shown the camera and wires and she felt “nasty and violated,” the complaint indicates.
The victim informed police she had no knowledge of the camera being in the bathroom, the complaint notes.
On August 7, police prepared a search warrant for the interior of the residence, and it was approved by District Magistrate Douglas Chambers. During the search, police discovered the hole in the closet that Chesnalavich was utilizing at the time of the incident. The hole in the closet led to a hole in the bathroom where the camera would have been, the complaint states.
On August 8, Chesnalavich arrived at PSP DuBois on his own to speak with investigators. He admitted he did place the camera in the bathroom in an attempt to view the victim. Chesnalavich stated that he was trying to see “if the victim was shaved or not,” the complaint indicates.
Chesnalavich confirmed that he was masturbating whenever the complainant walked into the bedroom as he was viewing his cell phone, which was connected to the camera in the bathroom. Chesnalavich claimed that this was the first time he tried looking through the wall with the camera, the complaint notes.
Chesnalavich disclosed that approximately a week prior to this incident, he looked under the bathroom door utilizing the same camera and he was able to see the victim’s butt and her top (breasts). Chesnalavich did not know exactly what date/time he did that, the complaint states.
Chesnalavich was charged with the following:
- Invasion of Privacy – View, Photograph, Etc. Person Without Consent, Misdemeanor 2
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 26, at 11:30 a.m. with Judge Inzana presiding.
