POST OAK BEND, Texas — A now former Dallas Fire-Recue firefighter, of Kaufman County, has arrested and charged with attempt invasive visual recording after a hidden camera was discovered in a fire station bathroom.
POST OAK BEND, Texas — A now former Dallas Fire-Recue firefighter, of Kaufman County, has arrested and charged with attempt invasive visual recording after a hidden camera was discovered in a fire station bathroom.
Investigators executed a search warrant at 35-year-old Craig Lawrence's Post Oak Bend residence last week, just days before his arrest yesterday.
The camera, which was disguised as a USB charger, was discovered by a Dallas Fire-Rescue captain in the downstairs bathroom of Dallas Fire-Rescue Station #11 on the morning of January 21, 2019, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Another firefighter told the captain he believed the charger was equipped with a hidden camera based on an incident on Thanksgiving Day in 2018 after his wife removed the charger from the bathroom to charge her phone, states the affidavit. When she moved the charger, the device fell apart, and revealed a camera inside. The firefighter didn't initially report the discovery.
Lawrence claimed ownership of the USB charger, said he did not realize it was a camera, a voluntarily surrendered the device to the captain. The device was then placed in a zip lock bag.
The captain and several other firefighters responded to an emergency call while Lawrence and another firefighter, who were assigned to the ambulance, remained at the station. That firefighter was asked to secure the zip lock bag while the captain was out of the station on the call.
When the captain returned, he and Lawrence had a private conversation, according to the affidavit. Lawrence said he was going to lose everything, go to jail, lose his job and his kids, and would be divorced.
Lawrence initially told the captain he had placed the USB charger in the bathroom to charge his iPod. The captain, however, according to the affidavit, stated he never witnessed Lawrence use an iPod.
Three days later, on January 24, 2019, Lawrence resigned from the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department. According to department spokesperson Jason Evans, Lawrence had worked for the department for five years.
Other firefighters at the station expressed concerns to investigators that their family members had been recorded by the device when visiting the fire station. Additionally, they told investigators Lawrence had previously made sexually explicit comments, shared nude photographs, and brought a box of sex toys to the station.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Lawrence's Post Oak Bend home on February 8, 2019. During the execution of the search warrant, investigators interviewed Lawrence.
Lawrence then told investigators he had brought the device to the fire station to determine who was rummaging through his duffel bag at work. The device was initially set up in the upstairs locker room so that Lawrence could test the device and he told investigators it was placed in the downstairs bathroom by accident, according to the affidavit.
Among the items photographed by investigators during the search of Lawrence's residence was the box of sex toys that was brought to the fire station and a hand-drawn caricature of a Dallas firefighter sitting on the toilet with his pants down.
During forensic examination of Lawrence's devices, investigators discovered several Voyeur-related web history entries and videos, many of which depicted hidden cameras in bathrooms.
An arrest warrant for Lawrence was signed on February 12, 2019, and he was booked into the Dallas County Jail on February 13, 2019, where he remains held on a $1,500 bond.