WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A West Bloomfield Township trustee has been charged for allegedly planting hidden cameras in women’s bedrooms and bathrooms.
Watch Simon Shaykhet's video report below:
Board trustee Jibran "Jim" Manna, 65, has been charged with two counts of capturing an image of an unclothed person and five counts of installing a device for eavesdropping.
He was arraigned on those charges Friday and given a $100,000 personal bond. Manna posted bond Friday.
Watch the arraignment in the video below:
Manna was arrested late Sunday night, police say.
"Two adult females with their adult mother came into the police department to make a police report that involved Trustee Jim Manna," West Bloomfield Township Police Chief Dale Young said. “During that time speaking with the patrol officers, it became serious. There were serious allegations, so to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest, the entire manner was turned over to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office for further investigation."
Watch Brett Kast's video report after prosecutor's authorized charges below:
Prosecutors say the two women discovered surveillance cameras hidden in smoke detectors in their bedrooms. Prosecutors say officers found more cameras during a search of Manna’s home, office and his cellphone. They say his phone contained nude surveillance images of victims.
“This was an appalling invasion of privacy,” Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. “The defendant’s alleged actions exploited his victims in spaces where they expected to feel safest and most private.”
Township Supervisor Jonathan Warshay was one of many stunned by the allegations.
“The charges are shocking, so we certainly had no idea of any of this," Warshay said.
