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Pastor Arrested for Hidden Cameras in Women’s Restroom

By Andrew Chow, JD at FindLaw.com

A fallen air freshener and a Superman mouse pad led to an Indiana pastor’s fall from grace. Robert Lyzenga, 55, is accused of hiding cameras inside women’s toilet stalls at his church, the Lafayette Journal and Courier reports.

A female church member exposed the pastor’s secret after an air freshener in a toilet stall fell to the floor, revealing a camera inside. She found two other fake air fresheners in adjacent stalls, one of which also contained a camera, according to an affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun.

When investigators checked the cameras’ contents, they found video of two women and a girl using the restroom. But the cameras had also captured other images that led detectives to the pastor’s door.

The hidden cameras contained video clips of someone setting up the cameras in some sort of office. So sheriff’s deputies went back to the church, where Pastor Robert Lyzenga offered to show them around.

Lyzenga led investigators to several church offices, but none matched what was seen in the video. Deputies then asked to see Lyzenga’s office, which made the pastor “very nervous,” the affidavit said.

Lo and behold, Lyzenga’s office allegedly matched the one seen in the hidden camera video. The pastor’s pencil cup and a Superman mouse pad were dead giveaways, investigators said.

Lyzenga was arrested on suspicion of voyeurism and released after posting bond the same day, according to the Journal and Courier. If he’s formally charged with felony voyeurism and convicted, Lyzenga could face up to three years in prison.

After Pastor Robert Lyzenga’s arrest for the hidden cameras, he was suspended from his church, which he’s led since 2002. Lyzenga is a father of three and has been married for 30 years, The Smoking Gun reports.