Coeur d’Alene man accused of secretly recording nude videos at bank, gym, home
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 4 months AGO
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | June 7, 2024 5:45 PM
COEUR d’ALENE — A man who is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material and recording nude videos of children and adults without their knowledge is in jail on $500,000 bail.
Michael S. Wall, 51, of Coeur d’Alene, faces 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitative material and seven counts of video voyeurism by use of a device.
The Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force began investigating after a cloud storage company reported that a user, later identified as Wall, had uploaded child sexual abuse material to his account.
Police obtained a search warrant for the contents of Wall’s cloud storage account. The search yielded more than 400 files containing child sexual abuse material, according to court records, as well as more than 200 files “that appeared to be self-produced ‘up-skirt’ type videos” of children and adults, dating back as far as 2006.
Some of the “up-skirt” videos appeared to be recorded at Wall’s workplace, Willamette Valley Bank in Coeur d’Alene, where he was employed as a loan officer, according to court records.
Prosecutors allege Wall secretly placed recording devices in guest bathrooms and other places “where a person would have a reasonable expectation of privacy,” doing so in multiple locations in Kootenai and Bonner counties between 2020 and 2024. These devices reportedly captured videos of adults and children bathing or in states of undress.
Court records indicate that a motion-activated device recorded approximately 208 separate video files from what appeared to be a bedroom or bathroom closet in a family’s home.
Wall allegedly recorded and photographed nude men in the showers at Peak Fitness in Coeur d’Alene.
Police arrested Wall on Thursday on a $500,000 warrant.
Sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitative material is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while video voyeurism carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
ARTICLES BY KAYE THORNBRUGH
Stateline shooter pleads guilty to manslaughter
A DoorDash driver who fatally shot a pedestrian during a road rage incident near Stateline Speedway has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, though whether a judge will accept the pretrial settlement offer in the case remains to be seen.
Stateline shooter pleads guilty to manslaughter
Prosecutors originally charged Edsel Johnson with first-degree murder
A DoorDash driver who fatally shot a pedestrian during a road rage incident near Stateline Speedway has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, though whether a judge will accept the pretrial settlement offer in the case remains to be seen.
Kootenai County history revealed
Community members get close-up look at time capsule contents
Liz Boutin is no stranger to historical artifacts. A museum professional and fine artist, Boutin said she's handled Egyptian and Greek items that date back to antiquity. But she had a new experience this summer, after local historical preservationists retrieved a 100-year time capsule from inside the outer wall of the old Kootenai County courthouse.