Gym manager charged with photographing women in restroom
Sep. 17—SALEM — The manager of a Salem gym has been charged with secretly photographing at least one woman and following several other women using a restroom there earlier this month.
John Medina, 34, of 4 Beverly Commons Drive, Apt. 24, Beverly, pleaded not guilty to one count of photographing an unsuspecting person in the nude during his arraignment Thursday in Salem District Court.
Police were called to Planet Fitness on the afternoon of Sept. 3 by a 20-year-old woman who saw a man's hand holding a cell phone come under the door of the stall she was using.
The woman, who said she was "really scared," finished pulling up her gym clothes and left.
Moments later she noticed a man staring at her; he later approached her and asked if she had seen him in the restroom earlier. When she said she hadn't, he responded, "Okay, good, good," she told police.
Medina — who at the time wasn't a suspect — told the officer he had been cleaning bathrooms that afternoon.
But video surveillance provided by Planet Fitness security told a different story.
Lt. Detective Kristian Hanson said Medina could be seen entering the women's restroom four times, each time within seconds of a woman entering.
The video also corroborated the young woman's account of being stared at after she left the restroom.
After viewing the video, Hanson spoke with the woman and with Medina. He obtained a warrant for Medina's arrest on Wednesday.
Medina remains free on the $5,000 bail set by a clerk following his arrest on a warrant Wednesday night. He has been ordered to stay away from the woman and the witness.
As of Thursday morning, Medina believed he was still employed by the gym; his attorney told Brennan that the stay away order could pose a problem if the woman returns there to work out.
"What if she shows up?" Medina asked.
"Then you've got to go," the judge said.
"At Planet Fitness, the safety and privacy of our members is our top priority, and we take this incident extremely seriously," said spokeswoman Becky Zirlen in an emailed statement Thursday afternoon. "We're cooperating with local authorities in their investigation."
A pre-trial hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 1.
Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis
Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis
