Dental Assistant Faces Charges for Illegally Recording Patients

USA: A dental assistant in Columbia, Maryland, has been indicted on multiple charges related to illegally recording patients and coworkers at the dental office where he worked. The investigation uncovered a disturbing pattern of privacy violations involving upskirt videos, dressing room recordings, and unauthorized access to personal media.

The Allegations

According to the indictment, 43-year-old Delano Draine of Owings Mills is accused of recording inappropriate videos of women without their consent. The investigation began after a 16-year-old girl reported that Draine had recorded her in a dressing room at The Mall in Columbia in December 2023.

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Upon reviewing Draine’s electronic devices, detectives found numerous upskirt and dressing room videos of at least 11 female victims at various locations throughout Howard County and the surrounding region. “We don’t expect to find them,” said Howard County Police spokesperson Sherry Llewellyn. “We believe that they don’t even know that they were victimized.”

Unauthorized Access to Personal Media

The indictment further alleges that Draine captured the cell phone passwords of his patients and coworkers by secretly recording them while they used their phones. With these passwords, he gained unauthorized access to their media galleries and recorded their personal photos and videos onto his own device.

“It’s our understanding that he would look at the victims as they would enter the codes into their own phones and then he would gain access to the phone, open it and then look at their videos and photos and find anything that seemed really personal and record them on to his own phone,” Llewellyn explained.

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Charges and Victims

Draine faces a 68-count indictment that includes charges of peeping tom, visual surveillance, theft, and computer crimes. He is currently being held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center.

Detectives have identified all 37 women who were victims from the dental office where Draine worked. “Kind of unsettling, and it’s kind of like, is this going to become a normal thing?” remarked Columbia shopper Vincent Scovill, expressing concern about the prevalence of such incidents.

Public Reaction and Closing Remarks

Elizabeth Arnest, a Columbia resident, acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating, “Peeping Tom, is it violent? No. Is it an invasion of privacy and uncomfortable? Yeah.”

Police do not believe that Draine released any of the recorded material. However, the case highlights the importance of maintaining strict privacy and security measures, particularly in professional settings where sensitive information and personal data may be vulnerable.

As the legal proceedings unfold, the dental community and the public at large await a thorough investigation and appropriate consequences for Draine’s alleged actions.