Man claiming camera hidden in restroom to catch cheating girlfriend appears in court

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A Florida man who rigged a video camera built into a cellphone to capture the comings and goings inside a restroom in a Mountain Home convenience store entered a not guilty plea to charges against him during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.

Thirty-six-year-old Crawford Lee Croxton, who lists an address in Panama City, Florida, has a criminal record in five states, according to Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery.

He was listed as a parole absconder in Florida at the time he was arrested here. Officials in Florida have said they don’t want him back.

Charges against Croxton include video voyeurism, fleeing and being a habitual offender.

The incident began when a Baxter County Sheriff’s investigator responded to the convenience store Aug. 2, after an employee reported finding the cellphone hidden beneath and behind a toilet. The video camera on the phone was activated.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the phone recorded Croxton as he spent a considerable amount of time positioning and repositioning the phone. He also moved several objects to better conceal it from view.

After he was satisfied the phone was well enough hidden, Croxton left the restroom. One male was captured on the phone using the facility, after Croxton departed.

Photos of Croxton were retrieved from the phone and posted on the sheriff’s office website asking for any information on his whereabouts.

On Aug. 13, a citizen reported spotting the suspect on U.S. Highway 62/412 driving a 2016 SUV with Louisiana license plates.

Deputies responded and saw the driver turn into a restaurant in the Walmart area. Croxton was seen leaving his vehicle and running into the restaurant. He quickly exited the building on the opposite side and fled across the four-lane highway. He was cornered and taken into custody near the Harbor Freight building.

Croxton admitted placing the cellphone in the restroom and activating the video camera. He said he was attempting to catch his girlfriend cheating on him with another man.

He is being held in the Baxter County jail with bond set at $25,000.

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