Tenant finds spy camera behind cross in bathroomBy Sharon Coolidge
Enquirer staff writer
Suspicious about why a new light fixture in her rental apartment bathroom had a crucifix attached to it, Carla Hamilton called her boyfriend to help get it down.
A closer look revealed it was no ordinary religious artifact: The crucifix was placed on the light fixture to disguise a hidden camera and transmitter that her landlord was planning to use to spy on her, Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Michael Bachman said.
A Hamilton County grand jury indicted the landlord, Steve Messerschmidt, 58, Monday on charges of burglary and possession of criminal tools.
The victim caught on to the plan before Messerschmidt learned how to use the electronic equipment that was built into the fixture he bought on eBay, Bachman said.
Hamilton, 27 and mother of three, had a message for other renters:
"I want to warn other women to be careful. Your landlord runs checks on you, but how much do you know about them?"
She said Messerschmidt seemed nice, like a family man.
"I was lucky I found it," Hamilton said.
Norwood Police Lt. Gary Fye called the case not only a crime, but an invasion of privacy.
"He took away her trust," Fye said.
Hamilton moved into the Williams Avenue apartment the first weekend in March, and Messerschmidt said then that he planned to replace the bathroom light fixture. He made good on the promise April 16, putting in a fixture over the bathroom mirror, Bachman said.
But it was no ordinary light fixture - it had a tiny camera built in, with a transmitter attached.
Unsure of what they uncovered, Hamilton called Norwood police. In the basement, police found a television and VCR set up to receive the transmitted bathroom video.
Bachman said Messerschmidt admitted that he planned to spy on his tenant, chalking it up to "male curiosity."
Messerschmidt was arrested Monday and released on $5,000 bond. He declined to comment on the charges.
Hamilton said that while she feels lucky the plan was foiled before he became technologically savvy enough to use it, she's frustrated.
Messerschmidt remains her landlord, and still has a key to her apartment, she said.
Hamilton says she can't afford to move. And, the apartment is near a bus stop, which is her only transportation to work.
As for the charges, Hamilton wishes Ohio's stalking law covered such an alleged crime. A first offense of menacing by stalking charge is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail. The law is not applicable in this situation because the crime is engaging in a pattern of conduct - two or more times - that will cause physical harm or mental distress.
A person can be charged under the law, too, if a suspect posts an electronic message that urges or incites somebody else to stalk a person.
Neither scenario applies to the Norwood case, Bachman said.
Besides, he added that burglary is a felony and is punishable by up to five years in prison.
The burglary charge stems from the accusation that Messerschmidt went into the victim's house under the guise of replacing a light fixture, but was intending to spy on her.
Possession of a criminal tool was brought against Messerschmidt because he allegedly planned to use the recording equipment to commit a crime.
Still, Hamilton said: "I'm terrified."
And, she added, so are her children.
She and her three sons, ages 10, 8 and 6, stayed with family for a while after the discovery, but it wasn't a long-term solution.
Hamilton said her children don't understand why someone would put a camera in the bathroom.
"But they understand someone watching you, and that a bathroom is a private place," she said.
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