Waco property owner accused of recording invasive images of tenant using bathroom

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Stephen Lee Diamond, 54, of Waco, is charged with invasive visual recording after a tenant accused him of recording her while she was using a bathroom he assigned to her shortly after leasing a room at Diamond’s residence, an affidavit states.

Online records show Diamond was released from the McLennan County Jail on June 1 after posting a $3,000 bond.

On May 1, the victim contacted police to tell them she discovered a hidden camera inside a bathroom she was using at Diamond’s home.

The woman said she was looking for housing in Waco and came across a Facebook post stating Diamond was renting a room inside his home in the 9300 block of Regal Drive.

The woman said she met with Diamond, gave him money for a security deposit, and paid a month’s rent. During this time, Diamond showed the woman which bathroom was hers.

Later in the day, the woman used the bathroom and noticed a black charging block that was not hers. Upon closer inspection, the charging block was hot and appeared to have a camera lens, the affidavit states.

The woman handed the device over to police, and an investigator found a memory card inside that contained a saved video recording, the document further states.

“The video depicts the victim going to the bathroom with her buttocks exposed,” the affidavit states, “The camera was positioned to specifically face the shower and the toilet.”

Police said the victim verified she is the woman seen in the video footage found in the device’s memory card.

Investigators later reviewed text messages between the victim and Diamond, and the defendant allegedly admits in the exchange that he placed the camera in the bathroom, the affidavit states.

A search warrant was obtained to search Diamond’s iCloud account, and investigators allegedly found more evidence showing Diamond placed the camera in the woman’s bathroom.

“The defendant’s iCloud contains several explicit videos and pictures of females, several sexting conversations with various females, and several explicit messages with females,” investigators wrote in the affidavit.

Copyright 2023 KWTX. All rights reserved.