Henrietta Twp. man gets 18 months prison for hidden bathroom cameras

ELYRIA — A Henrietta Township man who secretly recorded adults and children using the bathroom at his state Route 511 home will spend up to 18 months in prison on felony child pornography charges, a Lorain County Common Pleas judge ruled Wednesday. Paul Churchill, 32, pleaded guilty to 12 felony and misdemeanor charges in September, charges related to the discovery of hidden cameras that recorded eight adults and four children inside a bathroom in his home. Judge Chris Cook handed down the sentence after some legal wrangling over Churchill's guilty plea, whether he would withdraw it, the recommendation of the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office and the wishes of the victims. In handing down a prison sentence instead of probation, which was a possibility, Cook told Churchill he "still can't get past the level of invasion of privacy your conduct had on these people." "I don't know how this community wouldn't think some prison sentence is warranted," the judge said. The charges included felony pandering obscenity involving a minor, illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, and felony and misdemeanor charges of voyeurism. The original plea deal, worked out with the blessing of his victims, meant that Churchill would be placed on probation. While Assistant Prosecutor Paul Griffin had initially recommended that, on Wednesday he told the court that he was asking for prison time. The victims' feelings factored into the original agreement, but Griffin said Wednesday that "things changed." "We're no longer in position to recommend probation and are recommending a prison sentence," Griffin told Cook. That the prosecution did so meant that Churchill was entitled to withdraw his guilty plea and take the case to trial, but defense attorney Michael Kinlin said his client is an "honorable man" who declined to withdraw his guilty plea and was willing to accept responsibility for his crimes. Churchill is "truly a good person. He just did a bad thing," Kinlin said. He said his client didn't mean to capture images of children, "just one adult," and did not expect the victims to find out. Kinlin told Cook his client has no criminal record and is at low risk to re-offend. Cook agreed, noting that Churchill had never had so much as a speeding ticket. But Cook asked Churchill how he couldn't know he would capture children on the hidden cameras. Churchill replied that he never intended to record children, and had volunteered to work with children through his church. "Children use the bathroom, too," Cook reminded Churchill. "The fact I hurt kids in this is tearing me apart," Churchill replied, saying he never intended to sell or even see the images of children that he captured on the hidden camera. "I made a mistake. A very, very stupid mistake." One of Churchill's adult victims also told the court Wednesday that she did not feel prison time would be "beneficial" to Churchill, who she said needs therapy instead of incarceration. "I do not see how prison will make him a better person," she told Cook. "I think it's wrong what he did. But for the crime he did commit, I don't think the prison sentence fits the crime. Therapy will help him." Cook ordered Churchill to report to the Lorain County Jail at noon Jan. 15 to begin serving his sentence. He also labeled Churchill a Tier II sex offender, meaning he must register with his local sheriff's office every 180 days for 25 years upon being released from prison. Cook also told Churchill that he would consider him for early release if he behaved himself while behind bars, though prosecutors and the victims in the case will have another chance to give their input to the court at that time, the judge said. One of Churchill's victims, Cook said, wrote the court to say that they felt his conduct was "inexcusable and irreversible." Another wrote that she is nervous to use any public restrooms because she still feels like she is being watched and recorded. The Lorain County Sheriff's Office arrested Churchill in February 2020 after a 19-year-old female relative who was living with Churchill and his wife found a hidden camera in one of the couple's bathrooms. Deputies searched the home and Churchill's phone, finding nude photos of the 19-year-old as well as other adults and juveniles. Another camera was found in an Erie County home that belonged to a friend of Churchill's. An Erie County Sheriff's Office investigation resulted in Churchill pleading guilty to felony possession of criminal tools and misdemeanor voyeurism. He was sentenced to six months in the Erie County Jail plus five years probation in Erie County Common Pleas Court in May, and has since served that jail time and been released. An Erie County sheriff's deputy who oversaw Churchill on a jail work crew during his six-month sentence also wrote a letter to Cook's court in support of Churchill, calling him "the best worker he's ever had," Kinlin told the court. Other supporters also submitted letters on Churchill's behalf. Churchill's wife filed for divorce in August, Kinlin told the court Wednesday. Churchill told Cook he "lost an amazing woman as a wife" as a result of his crimes, among other relationships and friendships. "I can't take that pain back," he said. "I regret every step of what I did." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him @daveobrienCT on Twitter.