A George man is charged with invasion of privacy, third-degree theft, and tampering with evidence after being accused of watching women in a restroom at Sanford Hospital in Rock Rapids. Ed Weiland, president of the Sanford Health Network says a possibly inappropriate situation was discovered by Sanford employees, and they called police.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office says the have arrested 55-year-old John David Elias of rural George for allegedly using peepholes to view women in the bathroom. Weiland says that at no time were patients or visitors at risk of violation of privacy. He says it was an area that was primarily used by staff. Weiland says they checked all other areas of the hospital and found no other problems.
Elias was charged and released on a $2,000 bond. A camera was used by sheriff’s office to catch the Elias and the sheriff’s office says that camera was also stolen by Elias and destroyed.
By Mark Van Aartsen, KIWA, Sheldon