A 60-year-old Tega Cay man is behind bars without bail after investigators say he planted hidden cameras disguised as phone chargers in the bedrooms of a woman and a 16-year-old girl, secretly recording them on video. Charles Douglas Lieske now faces three felony counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of voyeurism following his booking at the York County Detention Center.
According to detention records from the York County Sheriff's Office, Lieske was booked last Tuesday at 6:52 p.m. under booking number DC202604037 and held with no bond set. As reported by the Rock Hill Herald, the investigation began after screenshot images from a video feed were discovered, per an incident report. Warrants indicate Lieske had screenshots of the videos saved on an iPad.
Investigators say the hidden cameras were wall-plug devices with USB ports designed to resemble ordinary cellphone chargers, according to the incident report cited by the Herald. That kind of disguise is common in covert surveillance gear: consumer privacy research from SafeHome.org notes that spy cameras built into USB wall-charger plugs often retain fully functional power output specifically to evade detection, since the devices can charge a phone normally while quietly recording, sometimes to an internal SD card or over Wi-Fi.
The Charges and What They Carry
Court records show no trial date has yet been set in the case. Under South Carolina law, first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor is a felony that carries three to 20 years in prison for each conviction, and it applies to coercing, encouraging, or facilitating a minor's involvement in sexual activity or sexually explicit nudity, according to the South Carolina Legislature's statute. With three counts filed, Lieske faces the possibility of consecutive sentences well beyond that range if convicted on all charges.
The voyeurism counts fall under a separate statute, South Carolina Code § 16-17-470, which criminalizes photographing or video recording someone in a place where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy without their consent. Per Ryan Beasley Law, a first offense is treated as a misdemeanor carrying up to three years in prison and a $500 fine — a law commonly referred to in the state as the peeping-tom statute. One of the two people allegedly recorded, court information shows, is a 16-year-old girl.
Registry Requirements If Convicted
A conviction on either the voyeurism charges or the sexual exploitation charges would require Lieske to register as a sex offender under South Carolina Code § 23-3-430. Voyeurism convictions are classified as a Tier I offense carrying a minimum 15-year registration requirement, per the South Carolina Legislature. The state's registry is maintained publicly by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division alongside local sheriff's offices.
The York County Sheriff's Office Sex Offender Registry Unit already tracks more than 520 registered offenders across the county, sorted into three statutory tiers based on the severity of their convictions. South Carolina law also mandates that any audio or video recordings seized during a voyeurism investigation be forfeited and destroyed once criminal proceedings conclude, according to the South Carolina Legislature.
A Wealthy Lake Wylie Suburb
Tega Cay, where Lieske lives, is an affluent lakeside suburb roughly 20 miles south of Charlotte on Lake Wylie, with a population estimated between 13,600 and 14,800 residents and a median household income of $142,000 — more than double the state average, according to Census Reporter data. The city, incorporated in 1982 and originally developed in 1970, operates under the motto “The Good Life” and marks its incorporation each Fourth of July.
Census figures also show children ages 10 to 19 make up 15% of Tega Cay's population, and the city's poverty rate sits at just 1.53%, far below the 12.5% national average, per Data USA. The case remains under investigation, and it is not yet known whether digital forensics on the seized iPad or other electronics turned up additional victims or devices, nor when a bond hearing outcome or trial date might be set.
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