Brea man found guilty of secretly videotaping caregivers of his disabled daughter

A Brea man was convicted Tuesday of using a hidden camera in the bathroom of his home to secretly record caregivers he hired to help his disabled adult daughter.

A Santa Ana jury found David Russell Lowe, 57, guilty of a felony count of possession of child pornography, as well as 12 misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct tied to the hidden recordings.

Police identified 11 victims from the hidden recordings made between Oct. 2011 and July 2015, according to a brief filed prior to the trial by Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Duke, . Some of the victims were under 18, and some were disabled, the filing stated.

One of the caretakers noticed the disabled daughter watching one of the videos on a computer, and recognized the restroom of the home, according to the trial brief. The caretaker found a hidden camera in a digital clock in the bathroom, the prosecutor wrote.

Detectives discovered videos and images from the hidden camera on a thumb drive in Lowe’s dresser drawer, as well as on his bedroom computer, according to the trial brief. They also found a “large volume” of sexually explicit material depicting minors on his computer, the prosecutor wrote.

Lowe worked as a media services technician at Chapman University, the prosecutor wrote, and a search of his computer at the university turned up “65 active and 113 deleted pornographic images.” Investigators allege he repeatedly accessed pornography at work, according to the trial brief.

In an interview with police, Lowe said his disabled daughter was fascinated by clocks, and had placed the one with the camera in the bathroom, according to the trial brief. He blamed others for the pornography found on his computers, the prosecutor wrote.

Lowe’s attorney, Jacqueline Goodman, said there was no dispute that the caretakers were victims. But the defense attorney denied that Lowe was the one who filmed them.

Lowe, who was out on bail while awaiting trial, was immediately handcuffed following the verdict and taken into custody. He is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on Nov. 1.