Grandpa accused of filming family nude pleads not guilty

A man accused of filming his grandchildren nude with a bathroom “spy camera” pleaded not guilty and bailed out of jail last week. 

A Pinal County Superior Court judge arraigned 71-year-old James Schmoker Sept. 15 after a grand jury indicted him on two felony counts of surreptitious recording. 

Maricopa Police Department arrested Schmoker last month after his two grandchildren stumbled across a hidden camera recording them in the bathroom, according to a probable cause statement obtained by InMaricopa. 

The grandchildren, one boy and one girl, were visiting from out of state when they found a USB wall charger with a small lens plugged into a bathroom outlet. 

They told officers they found a memory card in the device that contained a stockpile of videos of family members using the toilet and showering. Both said they saw videos of themselves on the memory card. 

Schmoker allegedly admitted to buying the device and installing it in the bathroom, cops said.  

According to MPD, a detective reviewed the memory card and saw several videos of nude people who did not know they were being recorded. There were videos from two different bathrooms. 

Police booked Schmoker into jail Aug. 28. He was released on bail Thursday, where he awaits a pretrial hearing Oct. 9. 

Schmoker faces three years in prison. 

Court records show he faces new, undisclosed charges in Western Pinal Justice Court lodged Aug. 30. 

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