MUSKEGON, Mich.– A man from Illinois was arrested on Monday evening for allegedly trying to videotape men in the shower inside the men’s locker room at Muskegon Community College.
Ninos Danny Jando, 34, who is not believed to be a student, was in the shower at the time and had two phones and a camera hidden in two bags, according to the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office.
Muskegon Police were notified about the incident after a student who was showering noticed a suspicious bag inside the shower with a camera lens poking out of it and reported it to campus security.
“They had just finished up wrestling practice and a young man saw the man and questioned him and something didn’t seem right,” said Muskegon Community College Athletic Director Marty McDermott.
The 24-hour campus security detained the suspect until Muskegon Police arrived.
Jando is being held at the Muskegon County jail and is expected to be arraigned sometime this week. Prosecutor’s are looking at evidence to determine exact charges.
If there is evidence of videotaping in the shower, Jando could face a charge of capturing an image of an unclothed person, a 5-year felony.
He’s being held on invasion of privacy.
Jando told police he was at the building because he was visiting a friend.
The athletic building where the alleged incident took place is part of an open-campus, which means the community is welcome. The building itself is small, but busy with gym activities and team practices. Campus leaders say anyone inside should have student identification, but there is no formal check-in.
“You can get into the building, that’s not a problem, if you are asked by a staff member you have to present your student ID, but for you to go walk around the gym or main building you would not have to have an ID to do so and that’s one of the problems with having an open-campus,” said McDermott.
The college has taken steps in the pasts to prevent any security issues by staffing 24-hour campus security and having an online behavior reporting system.
Muskegon Community College was hoping to upgrade its athletic building and security, but a millage to fund the project was not approved by voters.
