Former UK student pleads not guilty to placing camera in women's bathroom on campus

A former University of Kentucky student pleaded not guilty in Fayette District Court on Friday to charges accusing him of putting a camera in a university bathroom.

Ryan Matthew Smith, 24, is charged with 13 counts of voyeurism, three counts of fourth-degree unlawful access to a computer, two counts of promoting sex by a minor under 16, and two counts of possessing or viewing matter portraying a sexual performance after university police found a camera in a restroom and hundreds of videos and pictures of women's body parts on Smith's laptop, according to court documents.

University of Kentucky police were notified by a security guard March 8 of a suspicious recording device in a bathroom in the College of Medicine. The security guard escorted police to the bathroom and when they tried to open the door, it was locked. But when the police officer knocked on the door, Smith answered. He told police he was looking for the camera, which he said he used as a study aid, the documents said.

Smith showed the police officers and the security guard a video of only him putting the camera in the corner of the bathroom and staring into the camera for several seconds before turning the bathroom light off and leaving.

Police seized the camera and Smith's phone and laptop. While conducting a search March 11 on the phone and the laptop, police found 354 photos and videos of "sexual conduct, genitals, an undergarment worn without being publicly visible, or nipple of the female breast of another person without that person's consent."

One of the files, labeled with a woman's name, contained six subfolders with titles that referenced body parts. The file contained 670 photos, videos and screenshots of messages or webpages.

UK police Chief Joe Monroe said Smith had images of girls and women from 10 years old to college age. The images, taken with multiple cameras, were taken both on and off campus, Monroe said.

The investigation lasted 5½ months, he said.

UK spokesman Jay Blanton said Smith was a former student in the College of Medicine.

Smith was arrested Thursday. He was released on an $8,200 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 4.

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Former UK student pleads not guilty to placing camera in women's bathroom on campus."