Amherst, New Hampshire has become the focal point of a disturbing privacy violation case, where a landlord, 70-year-old Charles McGuire, is facing serious charges for allegedly hiding a camera inside a tenant’s apartment, according to reports from NBC Boston. Investigators state that the camera was secretly installed in a smoke detector, capturing over 9,000 images of tenants and guests without their consent, spanning more than four years.
The hidden camera captured individuals "in various stages of undress," a clear violation of privacy that has led to McGuire being charged with 45 counts of invasion of privacy, along with charges for falsifying physical evidence and stalking and detectives are currently scrutinizing further evidence to establish if there are additional victims beyond those already identified, the ongoing investigation shedding light on the breach of trust between landlord and tenant, as mentioned on NBC Boston. Disturbingly, many might have been unknowingly recorded during their most intimate moments by a person they should have been able to trust.
McGuire was arrested on March 17 and is out on bail, indicating he would abstain from commenting on the ongoing legal matter, as reported by WCVB. The case has prompted the police department to reach out to the public, urging anyone who believes they might be affected or who has relevant information to contact Detective Taylor Aspinwall directly via email or the provided phone number.
The Amherst police department is leaving no stone unturned as they believe McGuire’s capture of unauthorized images at 30 The Flume may include guests and former residents and as they work to identify other individuals unknowingly filmed, they continue to encourage people who visited the home or attended social gatherings there over the past several years to come forward, highlighting the span of time during which tenants’ private moments were potentially exposed to unconsented surveillance and breach of personal sanctity.
