A part-time paramedic with Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service was arrested and now faces 40 felony counts after a hidden camera was discovered in a restroom at a company satellite office in Adairsville, Bartow County. Jail records identify the suspect as 50-year-old James Burton Crawford of Woodstock, who was booked in late April and later posted a $50,000 property bond. Authorities say the recordings date back to the summer of 2023 and that multiple coworkers were reportedly captured on the device.
According to a police document obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, the investigation began on Oct. 9, 2023, after an employee picked up a clock on a restroom shelf and noticed an SD-card slot and a camera lens. The device was handed off to the company’s IT lead, whose review of the files prompted detectives to launch a criminal probe. Employees told police the suspect’s first day at the station was May 1, 2023, and the earliest footage on the card dates to early June.
What Investigators Say
A local report says a review of the SD card showed video of Crawford moving the clock, placing the device on a toilet-paper holder, adjusting its aim and then putting it back on the shelf, according to WBHF. Court booking records list 40 felony counts of unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance tied to multiple dates between June 2 and Aug. 26, 2023, and show Crawford later posted a $50,000 property bond, per the Bartow County inmate roster. Investigators say they have identified at least 14 victims and are asking anyone who believes they may have been recorded to contact law enforcement.
Legal Implications
Under Georgia law, clandestinely recording or observing someone in a private place without consent is unlawful under the state’s eavesdropping and invasion-of-privacy statute, identified as O.C.G.A. 7 16-11-62 on Justia. Prosecutors charged each alleged incident as a separate felony count, reflecting how the statute is applied to surreptitious recording in workplaces and other private settings.
Company Response and Next Steps
WBHF reports the company’s CEO directed the IT lead to examine the SD card and that the device was then turned over to police. Bartow County court records show Crawford was booked in April 2025 and bonded out. He remains listed as awaiting further court action, and detectives say the investigation is ongoing.
