WESTFIELD, Ind. -- A Hamilton County man with a history of voyeurism has once again been charged with the crime after he allegedly tried to record a woman using the lobby restroom at a Westfield hotel.
According to court documents filed earlier this month in Hamilton County Court, 43-year-old James Verhines Jr. has been charged with:
- One count of voyeurism where the defendant peeps using a camera, a Level 6 felony
- One count of voyeurism where the defendant has a prior unrelated conviction, a Level 6 felony
- One misdemeanor count of voyeurism where the defendant knowingly or intentionally peeps in an area where an occupant disrobes
This comes after Verhines pleaded guilty in March to an unrelated charge of voyeurism in Johnson County, according to the court documents.
On June 28, officers with the Westfield Police Department were dispatched to a Westfield hotel in reference to a voyeurism-related call. A woman at the hotel told police that she was using the restroom in the lobby when she saw a man's arm reach underneath the stall and point a cell phone in her direction.
The woman told police that she yelled at the man, later identified as Verhines, before she chased him out of the restroom. The documents said that Verhines ran from the restroom toward the exits, running into two individuals who were entering the hotel. The woman continued to chase Verhines out of the hotel.
In late July, the Westfield Police Department posted stills from the hotel's security video, asking the public for help in identifying the man. Around 30 minutes after the post was published, an anonymous caller identified the man as Verhines and said he worked at a local fast food establishment.
Officers with the Westfield Police Department tracked Verhines to an address in Sheridan. Officers eventually met up with Verhines at a library in Sheridan, according to the court documents.
During their initial conversation, Verhines admitted to being at the hotel that night to use the restroom, but stressed he at no point entered the women's restroom.
After Verhines was told about the security cameras, Verhines reportedly admitted to police that he was "looking for 'a little action'" at the hotel. The court documents said that Verhines stated he walked into the women's restroom and put his cell phone under the stall with the intent of filming the woman.
"Verhines advised that at the last minute, he had a change of heart and decided not to record and ran out because he was scared," the documents said.