Friday, April 17, 2009

Officer Gary Sutton Jr Arrested for Watching Girls in Dressing Room

FAIRMONT

An FBI police officer is under arrest and a warrant has been issued for the arrest of another officer, after the pair allegedly used a security camera to watch girls in a dressing room, during a charity prom dress event, court documents say.

Gary Sutton Jr., 40 of New Milton, is charged with criminal invasion of privacy and being a party to a crime.

Both charges are misdemeanors.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a second officer on the same charges.

Sutton turned himself into authorities and was arraigned Friday morning in Marion County Magistrate Court.

He was released on $6,000 bond.

There is no word on when the second officer will be arrested.

If convicted, the men would face a year in jail and a $5,000 fine, according to the statute.

On Saturday, April 4, Hospice Care Corporation held "The Cinderella Project" at the Middletown Mall in White Hall.

The event offered prom dresses, shoes and jewelry at affordable prices and raised money for Hospice Care.

Hundreds of people attended the event.

Temporary dressing rooms were set up for the event.

The dressing rooms did not have ceilings.

Sutton and the other officer were on duty at the FBI's satellite control room at the mall during the event, investigators say.

The camera in question was in scanning mode when it began recording on Saturday morning, court documents say.

At 8:26 a.m., the camera stopped above the dressing area, according to the criminal complaint for Sutton.

At 9:34 a.m., after a young woman entered the dressing area, the camera zoomed in and remained zoomed in until 11:00 a.m.

During that time period, several young woman entered the room and undressed.

One young woman was seen topless, investigators say.

Investigators with the Marion County Sheriff's Department say the two officers were the only ones in the FBI control room at the time of the incident and the only ones who could control the camera.

It is important to note that the men in question are FBI police officers, not FBI agents.

All of the agencies involved have had an overwhelming response to this case and have set up a hot line.

Anyone with more information or questions is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Officials at the FBI's CJIS Center in Clarksburg have declined to comment on the situation or the status of the officers.

The FBI has deferred all comment to the Office of the Inspector General in Washington, D.C.

A spokesperson with the Inspector General's office has confirmed that the agency is investigating the incident.

Neither the Marion County Sheriff's Department or the Marion County Prosecutor's Office have issued a statement on the case.

A spokeswoman with Hospice Care says the organization is aware of the matter, but has deferred any questions to the Marion County Prosecutor's Office.
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http://www.wdtv.com/news/local/43196907.html

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