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Woods Cross coach charged after camera found inside gym bathroom

Posted at 9:49 AM, Mar 23, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-23 19:17:13-04

WOODS CROSS, Utah — The owner and coach of a Woods Cross gymnastics facility was arrested after he allegedly placed a camera to record those using the gym's bathroom.

Adam Richard Jacobs, 33, the owner of USA Gymnastics World, was arrested Wednesday and charged with 24 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and 15 counts of voyeurism after the device found in the bathroom contained over 500 files.

In a statement from the Woods Cross Police Department, the camera footage featured over 70 individuals "who had been secretly or surreptitiously recorded using the restroom." Many of the photos captured mostly children using the toilet or undressing.

The footage also showed Jacobs as the one who placed the camera inside the bathroom between Oct. 6-18, 2022.

On Wednesday, investigators with multiple agencies served a search warrant on Jacobs' home and the gym. During the search, additional evidence was discovered in Jacobs' possession that contained more footage of victims.

According to the indictment, a witness notified police on March 3 that they had found a hidden camera inside the gym's bathroom. The witness removed the device, which he first thought was a USB charger adapter, and placed it in the office for someone to claim. Later on the same day, the witness again found the device in the bathroom, and that he and Jacobs were the only ones working at the time.

Finding the device a second time, the witness opened the front faceplate and discovered a recording device with a memory card inside.

"The faceplate was designed to allow the device to video record without being recognized as a camera. The camera was pointed directly towards the toilet in the restroom and had a full view, unimpeded view," the indictment reads.

Police accessed the memory card and found several hundred files, including a video that showed Jacobs setting up and adjusting the camera inside the bathroom.

As of Thursday, officials have identified 124 videos of individuals using the bathroom, 42 of which are of children under the age of 18 in various stages of undress.

Jacobs is believed to have acted alone and there is no evidence suggesting that any of the children were physically abused.

A search of the gym found no other hidden devices