Prosecutor says potential victims of Planet Fitness peeping should contact authorities

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Anyone who is worried their privacy might have been violated in the tanning area of a Columbia Planet Fitness should contact authorities, Boone County's top prosecutor said Thursday.

Kenneth G. Steele, a former trainer at the gym, was charged Wednesday with invasion of privacy and third-degree domestic assault. He was not listed on the Boone County Jail roster Thursday afternoon.

A Planet Fitness employee, speaking anonymously because they are not authorized to speak with media, told ABC 17 News that Steele was a trainer at the 205 E. Nifong Blvd. location.

According to a probable cause statement from Oct. 15, a manager told police that Steele was recording people undressing in the tanning booth of Planet Fitness and that there was video footage of Steele placing a camera inside a paper towel holder in the tanning booth before a client used it. The manager recognized Steele from the video due to his tattoos, the statement says.

Velcro was found in the paper towel holders of all five of the tanning booths.

"At Planet Fitness, we strive to maintain a safe environment for our members and guests and do not tolerate inappropriate behavior of any kind," the company said in a statement. "The local franchise owner took action immediately by working with local authorities and terminated the employee. For any additional questions, we refer you to the appropriate local authorities.”

Current owner of Capital Fitness, Luke Gabriel, managed a Planet Fitness in Jefferson City for 11 months and said that this isn't a Planet Fitness issue, but a criminal taking advantage of a situation.

According to Gabriel, Planet Fitness does screen and background check employees. There are also rules that ban cameras in changing areas and limit tanning rooms to one person but rules can only do so much.

Gabriel adds that he has seen a rise in people secretly being recorded in gym spaces and that the best thing for customers and employees to do is to be aware.

"If you're going in to tan, not saying, 'search the room,' but if you see something out of place, or you see something unusual, or you see a weird little light, or there's a towel wadded up, we look for these things," Gabriel said. "It's sad we have to have this conversation, but we do need to be a little bit more aware that  this is occurring."

Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Roger Johnson said as part of the legal process, the prosecutor's office tries to contact any possible victims by letter or by talking in person and on the phone. Johnson encouraged anyone who may be worried they were filmed to reach out.

"If there are people in the community that are concerned that they might have been captured on video, I would encourage them to contact the prosecutor's office and ask to speak with our victim advocate," Johnson said.

Steele became angry and yelled when confronted with the evidence, ultimately hitting his accuser in the chest, grabbing their neck and shoving them into a wooden dresser, a separate probable cause statement says.

Johnson said the judge is reviewing the case and prosecutors are waiting for the judge to issue a warrant however, Steele's lawyer has pleaded not guilty.

"I would encourage the defendant to turn himself in, and once he does that, we'll be able to continue working on the case and move forward," Johnson said.