The college community in the sleepy rural town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (pop. 50,285) has been rocked by a gay spycam scandal.
35-year-old Jonathan Downing teaches chemistry at North Idaho College. Earlier this week, he was arrested after being caught secretly videotaping his roommate and the man’s girlfriend in the bathroom.
Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls Press reports:
Coeur d’Alene police said the alleged male victim, a 20-year-old former student of Downing’s, found a pinhole video camera in a wall after becoming suspicious that he was being video recorded. On a computer that both men shared, the alleged victim, “found secretly recorded videos of him and a female friend,” Det. Jared Reneau said.
The alleged victim called police after discovering the files.
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Downing, who identifies as gay, admitted to making the recordings but told investigators he was only interested in seeing his roommate naked; the girlfriend has been recorded “inadvertently”.
“Downing admitted he intentionally placed the camera to covertly record video of the male victim while the male was in the bathroom,” Reneau said in a press release.
The alleged victim, who has known Downing since he was 15, told investigators that over the years he would often “would slap (him) on the buttock,” and tell him, “just wait until you are 18.”
In addition to teaching chemistry, Downing is also an adviser for North Idaho College’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance, a student group promoting “a positive and supportive environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex questioning and straight people as well as those who support them.”
On Thursday, the group posted a note to its official Facebook page addressing the scandal.
“Many people have been personally affected by the news that broke this morning regarding Jon Downing,” the post reads. “Please do not hesitate to contact NIC’s Crisis Response Unit or the ASNIC office for support or with questions.”
Meanwhile, the college issued a statement saying Downing was suspended from his job pending the outcome of the police investigation.
Downing’s bond is set at $35,000.
Related: Married father of two busted for spying on male colleagues in bathroom, blames it on bisexual urges
Chrisk
So the guys a perv. Big whoop.
Aires the Ram
I’ve always gone by the old adage: “If you think it’s the wrong thing to do, then don’t do it.”
Hussain-TheCanadian
Not to be insensitive towards the roommate being recorded without his knowledge, but is this really a “scandal”?
Hussain-TheCanadian
Also the chemistry teacher is an asshole, he jeopardized his teaching career for the sake of What? Fapping to his roommate using the washroom?
Kenton9
A sleepy town with a casino? Not too likely.
kandeemann2001
Hmmm…something about this story isn’t adding up to me.
First of all, if this professor was in the habit of slapping the boy’s ass and making comments like that (presumably while he was a youngster), why would the kid move into his house? If he was so uncomfortable about this older gay man making these inappropriate remarks, why make the choice to live in a house with him?
My next question is this: why is this a “town scandal”? This is a private dispute between two roommates, which took place in their private bathroom within their private home. So why is the entire town, and now the national media, so “rocked” and shocked and outraged about this PRIVATE issue? Is it because the perpetrator is gay? And is it because he fits the stereotype of the creepy old predator who’s secretly spying on his young, hot, straight roommate? And is that also the reason why the media is introducing this allegedly “scandalous” past behavior of smacking him on the butt…to show that he’s secretly been lusting after this young boy all these years? Miss me with the bullshit and the fake outrage, dude. A roommate secretly recorded his other roommate getting it on. Arrest him. Try him. Convict him. Put him in jail. But DON’T turn it into some kind of national scandal that perpetuates the very kind of stereotypes we fight to overcome.
Sam6969
I lacked the context as well. It is more clear in the ( report on local TV.
This story is in the local press and on local TV (…and on Queerty). I agree we can argue the decision to make it that public as it certainly does not help stop stereotypes against us, but it can also help other victims to show up. The link between the college and this case is that the defendant met the young man when he was HIS 15yo student. If the man hosted other of his students past or present and did the same thing to them, it becomes a concern for this university, as it means he first meet them at College.
Zambos271
Amen. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Sam6969
Hi, Crowebobby,
I understand your cynicism: messages sent by this society are sometimes contradictory and they traditionally convey a double standard depending on how you are perceived.
In a comedy movie, the average male teen viewer knows it is not right to spy on girls in their locker room, but as it is still funny and relatable, it is forgivable. If it was a boy peering at them in the same conditions in a comedy…it would just be weird or likely much less funny! It is part of our societies inequalities, but also double standards. Messages sent are mixed whether you are straight or gay, male or female, etc. (which is part of what feminists want to change for the better and sometimes for the worse, as they are often also uncompromising).
It seems particularly better not to do anything even slightly wrong nowadays, compared to several years back, as it will take bigger proportions now. Again for the better and the worse.
Social media adding to the traditional ones and their identity disclosure policy put together more pressure on decisions-makers. Under such pressure and close scrutiny the latter do not have always much time to think things through, but most importantly they do not seem to have much room in their decisions for tolerance even if they wanted to.
Someone pretending, rightfully or not, to know the American culture told me recently that forgiveness was deeply anchored in it (he took the example of the weaver requests). Would you agree with this assessment? Is it easy for americans to forgive people wrongdoings and to what extent do they have to make amends? Or is just public opinion harsh and severe almost beyond forgiveness?
Also, the chemistry teacher may lose his job over something that can be argued not directly related to it (even in relation to his students).
Sam6969
*waiver request 😉
crowebobby
It never occured to me that someone might miss the sarcasm inherent in my statement. No, I don’t think it’s okay or funny to record anyone naked without their permission. (Though it may be hot as hell.) And I think it’s even less funny for school bullies to torment weaker students in any way. I agree most people, young and old, know the difference between fictional situations and real life, but to some extent art does imitate life and visa versa – think of the 1920’s romantic comedies where a husband could take his wife over his knee and spank her to the delight of the movie-going public . . . male and female. It reflected a very real belief in what was then considered the proper marital roles. I never thought children would be dumb enough to believe it was okay to stab a friend in the eye with a pencil because Butthead and Beavis did it, but I do believe the all pervasive message that it’s “manly” to redress any insult with the maximum level of violence possible is at least partly responsible for a lot of our country’s murder rate. Anyway . . .
GayEGO
What was the girl and guy doing in the same bathroom? Hmmm……….!!!!
o.codone
I think it was a private residence and the guys were roommates. It wasn’t the dorm bathroom, although in some co-ed dorms I think this “problem” sometimes occurs. College students are like bunnies.
Shaugn
I have one question. Does every straight perv get this kind of coverage Idaho? I know it does not happen. I 1983 there were neo-nazis in Hailey, ID (Sunvalley) on the streets passing out their hate porno, full uniform and all. No media ever said anything.
JackieOMG
Many years ago, I read an obscure hardback book called “The Boys of Boise” about a witch hunt of gays that started with some arrests of men engaging in sex acts in public places. I think it took place during the 1960s.
JackieOMG
I just Googled “The Boys of Boise”; apparently it happened in 1955.
QTYMann
Seth Randall made a documentary film about it called The Fall of ’55.