Landlord jailed after setting up hidden camera to watch tenants in bathroom

YORK COUNTY, SC (FOX 46) - A local landlord has been arrested after he was caught peeping on his tenants via a small undetectable camera in the bathroom.

Women, men and even children may have been caught on camera in a space where they should have had privacy.

The family living inside a home located on Cardinal Hill Dr. in York County said their landlord, who lived with them, had been watching them via a hidden camera for years.

“Claimed at first that he was afraid of people stealing, and then admitted he used it to video people where they should be most private.”

According to the sheriff’s office, the landlord, Douglas Veihdeffer, hid the camera in a towel/coat rack facing the toilet. The bathroom was used by the tenants – a man, his wife and their daughter and other family members who would often come to visit.

“Technology has got to the point where cameras are really small, hidden in a coat hook with a micro SD card.”

The video seized by investigators shows the family members in various locations inside the bathroom including the shower and toilet when the tenants had no clothes on.

Veihdeffer later admitted to deputies that he intended on videotaping his tenants naked and was in possession of the camera for years.

“Be aware of your everyday. When you get home if something looks out of place or if it looks like a camera, don’t hesitate to give us a call.”

Veihdeffer is facing a first-degree offense for voyeurism and violating a place of privacy.