A child pornographer attempted to record a four year old while she was showering with her mother in the family locker room at the Life Time fitness club on Rancho Niguel Road last Wednesday afternoon, May 26th. While helping her daughter rinse off after swimming, Ashley Marshall noticed a shadow lingering outside the frosted glass door separating the changing area from the rest of the family locker room. The shadow suddenly knelt down and an iPhone was held under the door through a five inch gap between the floor and the bottom of the glass door. Ms. Marshall screamed, threw on a towel and rushed out the door to confront the man, but he fled to the pool area before she could summon anyone from the Life Time staff to assist. Unfortunately, Life Time management was more concerned with keeping things quiet rather than locating the perpetrator so Ms. Marshall had to call 911 herself. Orange County Sheriff deputies quickly responded to the scene, but the child pornographer had already hopped the fence around the outdoor pool and escaped.
“Life Time’s failure to follow its own policies and procedures, as well as the design of the shower doors, provided this perpetrator with the perfect opportunity to commit this disgusting crime. This absolutely could have been prevented. Parents who take their children to Life Time need to be aware and Life Time must take appropriate measures to stop this from happening again.” - Attorney Matthew Dickson
Using surveillance video and guest registration information, the Sheriff’s Department identified the child pornographer who was arrested later that evening. Charges are still pending while the District Attorney completes its investigation, but the Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the suspect was released from custody yesterday. Life Time management apologized to Ms. Marshall by offering her one free month of membership.
For more information, please contact Matthew Dickson via email at [email protected]
Dickson Trial Attorneys, 4000 MacArthur Blvd., Ste. 600, East Tower, Newport Beach, CA 92660 (877) DTA-LAW1