More victims come forward in porta-potty camera case, Des Moines Police report
A man was accused of placing a camera in two portable toilets. Authorities continue to identify more people who were secretly filmed.
By Mack Swenson
DES MOINES, Iowa (WOI) – Victims in the Polk County case against 32-year-old Tyler Boyd Pavlick, who was accused last month of placing a camera in two portable toilets, continue to come forward, Des Moines police tells WOI.
According to police and court documents, Pavlick placed a camera inside a toilet bowl at the Harvest & Handmade event on Oct. 4 at Water Works Park. Hours after Des Moines police announced Pavlick’s arrest, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office accused Pavlick of perpetrating a similar incident about two weeks earlier.
Since Pavlick’s arrest, authorities in Polk and Marshall Counties have sought to identify victims who were secretly filmed.
In Polk County, those victims now total 40 or 50, according to Sergeant Paul Parizek, the public information officer for the Des Moines Police Department.
“When we first got [the case], we didn’t know who the suspect was, but to complicate matters even more, we didn’t know who all the victims were,” Parizek said. “We put that call out for victims to reach out to us, and we had a fantastic response from people who were at that event. We’ve had probably over 30 emails, some of them representing families.”
Parizek said that the DMPD’s intelligence analysts “did a good job” of identifying victims who hadn’t come forward. Now, the department is in the process of helping victims process “the invasion of their privacy and just the trauma that comes with this type of victimization,” according to Parizek.
“It’s one thing to be a victim of a crime and know it, and then have all those feelings that come with it. It’s another thing to not even realize that you’ve been victimized, particularly in such a vulnerable spot, you know, a place where you expect the most privacy. It’s a lot to process,” Parizek said.
Between both counties, Pavlick faces at least 100 charges.
In Polk County, Pavlick was originally charged with seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor-cause to engage in act — cause to engage in act, a class B felony, and three counts of invasion of privacy involving nudity, an aggravated misdemeanor.
In Marshall County, Pavlick faces 88 more counts: 35 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor-cause to engage in act, one count of sexual exploitation of minor-promote film — a class C felony — and 52 counts of invasion of privacy involving nudity, according to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. Local 5 reached out to the sheriff about whether Pavlick faces additional charges and is waiting to hear back.
Pavlick is being held in the Polk County Jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned at on Dec. 5, court documents show.
Porta-potty peep scheme busted as man faces nearly 100 charges for filming students: police
By Julia Bonavita
article
Tyler Pavlick is facing nearly 100 counts of criminal charges stemming from two instances in which he allegedly planted hidden cameras inside a porta-potty to film individuals using the bathroom at local community events in Iowa. (Polk County Jail)
An Iowa man is facing nearly 100 charges after police say he hid cameras inside porta-potties during two separate local community events in an effort to film dozens of people – including minors – using the restroom.
Tyler Pavlick, 32, was arrested on Oct. 15 and charged with 36 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and 52 counts of invasion of privacy in Marshall County, as well as seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of invasion of privacy in Polk County, according to FOX10.
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Last month, authorities responded to a call regarding reports of a hidden camera stowed inside a portable toilet at a cross-country meet, according to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. The event included both middle and high school-aged students, and was being held at a golf course when participants noticed the device.
“School officials were notified immediately,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release. “Interviews of potential witnesses were conducted along with securing potential surveillance video that may have captured evidence of the person or persons involved.”
The camera was subsequently turned over to law enforcement, with authorities piecing together a partial image of the suspect using surveillance video from the event.
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On Oct. 6, authorities in Marshall County were notified by the Des Moines Police Department (DMPD) that they were investigating a separate incident that they believe was committed by the same suspect two days earlier during the Harvest and Handmade Fair at Water Works Park, according to WHO13.
The device was allegedly placed inside the toilet bowl and positioned to capture the faces of individuals entering and using the porta-potty, Sgt. Paul Parizek, public information officer for DMPD, told WHO13.
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On Oct. 15, Pavlick was arrested without incident at his Des Moines apartment complex and remains in custody at the Polk County Jail, according to authorities. He is being held on a $100,000 cash bond in the Des Moines case, WHO13 reported.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and Des Moines Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Des Moines police look for victims after secret camera found in porta-potty at festival
Des Moines Register
Updated Oct. 16, 2025, 10:00 a.m. CT
A 32-year-old man was arrested for allegedly placing a camera in a portable toilet during a festival at Water Works Park in Des Moines.
Dozens of people were unknowingly recorded while entering and using the restroom at the Harvest & Handmade Fair on Oct. 4, according to a news release from the Des Moines Police Department. Police are asking people who think they may have been recorded to file a report.
“There will probably be some specific things (detectives) need to discuss with you, and some things they might need to ask of you,” Sgt. Paul Parizek said in a video about the investigation. “We need you, if you were at that park and used one of those portable toilets, to reach out to us as soon as you can.”
The camera was installed for approximately six hours, starting just before 10 a.m. It was placed under the toilet seat, facing forward. Adults and children were recorded while the camera was in place, according to the news release.
The release does not specify the location of the toilet within the park, but Parizek shared a photo that shows it situated in a pair near some vendor tents.
Tyler Pavlick was taken into custody following a search warrant at an East Village apartment on Oct. 15. Pavlick was charged with seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of invasion of privacy.
Parizek said this isn’t the first time secret cameras have been found in public places, and it likely won’t be the last.
“The details of this case are tough,” Parizek said. “They are going to be tough on the detectives. They are going to be tough on the community, and it’s going to be very tough on the people who were victimized. It presents an opportunity for us to talk about your awareness when you are using public spaces.”
What should victims do?
Those who think they have been recorded should contact detectives via email at FCS@DMGOV.ORG. The investigation is still ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available.
When in public dressing rooms or bathrooms, police encourage users to take some time to look at their surroundings, Parizek said.
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“Just look for anything unusual and do what you can to protect yourself or the people you love,” Parizek said.
Kate Kealey is the growth and development reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
This story was updated to add more information.
Florida man escaped into a porta potty after trying to run over a construction worker with his own car: Police
Background: News footage of the porta potty where Joshua Mulnix hid (WBBH). Inset: Joshua Mulnix (Lee County Sheriff’s Office).
A Florida man allegedly stole a construction worker’s car, tried to run him over with it, then hid in a portable toilet, where he took off his pants.
Joshua Mulnix, 43, is out on bond after he was arrested by officers from the Sanibel Police Department on Oct. 27. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, police responded to calls of a stolen vehicle in Sanibel, off the coast of Cape Coral, that day at 4:16 p.m. When officers arrived, a construction worker told them that Mulnix emerged from a nearby beach wearing nothing but sweatpants and entered private property.
The worker told police that when he told Mulnix to leave, he “refused,” then tried to break into a shed on the property. Mulnix was unsuccessful, but then he spotted the worker’s white Nissan SUV, which was unlocked with the keys inside.
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According to the affidavit, Mulnix got into the driver’s seat, started the SUV, and “aggressively accelerate[d]” toward the worker. The worker was able to jump out of the way to avoid being injured. He then watched Mulnix drive away in his SUV “through the property gate” toward nearby Captiva.
At the same time, on a separate call, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance for a “suspicious male” who matched Mulnix’s description. The affidavit said that a man resembling Mulnix, and later identified as Mulnix, allegedly parked the Nissan on a different property, then ran into a nearby porta potty.
Police said that the second caller told dispatchers that the man “appeared to be on drugs.”
When Mulnix emerged from the porta potty as law enforcement arrived, a deputy witnessed him “fleeing on foot” and “wielding two wooden stakes.” Mulnix, stakes still in hand and now without his pants, headed toward another vehicle, and the deputy subdued him with a taser.
The affidavit stated that a pair of gray sweatpants was found inside the porta potty that Mulnix was seen entering. His alleged outing in the construction worker’s Nissan is said to have caused around $4,000 in property damage.
Mulnix was taken into custody and then to a hospital. After being taken to Lee County Jail, he was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and criminal mischief. He posted $7,500 bail on Nov. 4 and was released from custody. His arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 8.
