A television photojournalist for a local news outlet in Oklahoma has been arrested on suspicion of secretly filming people inside the TV station’s changing area.
Darrell Lee Vannostran, 40, worked for Griffin Media at CBS affiliate KWTV (Channel 9) until this month, when he became the prime suspect in a criminal investigation concerning at least two cameras that were found in the station’s dressing room.
The cameras were discovered by the station’s custodian, who promptly alerted management. Station officials called the police, who opened an investigation into the matter.
Some of the camera equipment was identified as belonging to KWTV, according to police investigative records. Footage pulled from the camera showed people in different states of undress, the records said. It wasn’t clear if the people filmed were station employees or visitors.
The equipment was moved at least twice, and time stamps indicate that the videos were accessed multiple times, police said. The investigation later turned to Vannostran, who was reportedly at the station on multiple occasions that lined up with the time stamps shown on video, including times when he was not scheduled to work.
On at least two occasions, Vannostran’s building key logged him as accessing the facility for less than 45 minutes, with the times of entry and exit coinciding with the approximate time period that the equipment was adjusted based on the footage reviewed by investigators, police said.
Vannostran was arrested earlier this week and remains in custody on $25,000 bond. He faces possible charges of misusing audio and video equipment in a clandestine manner, a felony under Oklahoma law.
“Griffin Media is aware of the arrest of our former employee Darrell Vannostran. Our priority is the safety and privacy of our employees,” Houston Hunt, the Vice President of Marketing at Griffin Media, said in a statement to reporters. “When the devices were discovered, we immediately contacted the police and have been cooperating fully with their investigation. We are very appreciative of the dedicated, hard work by the members of the Oklahoma City Police Department.”
Hunt declined to provide additional comment on the matter, citing personnel privacy. It wasn’t clear if anyone was identified as a victim, including employees who work at the station.
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