FISHERS, Ind. -- Fishers police arrested a Lebanon man accused of secretly taking video of Goodwill employees in the bathroom.
The alleged voyeurism happened at the Goodwill store located at 7440 Fishers Station Drive, near the intersection of 116th and Allisonville Road.
Ritchie Hodges, 58, was arrested on February 6 on preliminary charges of voyeurism, according to Sgt. Tom Weger with Fishers Police.
Prosecutors are expected to file formal criminal charges against Hodges sometime next week, said Weger.
Records show Hodges is a registered sex offender with convictions for voyeurism and child pornography.
He served time in prison from October 2012 to December 2014, and was released from Indiana Department of Correction monitoring on December 7, 2015, records show.
Adrianna Beard, 17, said Fishers Police showed her images Hodges took of her in the Goodwill employee bathroom.
“They showed me a screenshot of one of the videos so that I could identify myself,” said Beard. “You just don’t expect something like this to happen. I know Goodwill hires felons, but I didn’t expect them to hire someone with this kind of record.
Beard had worked at Goodwill for a year as a cashier, while Hodges worked mostly in the back of the store loading donations.
"It’s really upsetting,” said Beard. “I don’t know why he did it. I don’t know why Goodwill didn’t notify any of the minors that he worked there.”
Adrianna’s mom said Goodwill should have kept a closer eye on Hodges.
“If he was a bank robber, would they let him work there?” said Nicole Byers, Adrianna’s mother. “Would they double check to make sure he’s not robbing Goodwill?”
Call 6 Investigates spoke with Hodges, who confirmed his February 6 arrest, and said he did it to get back at Goodwill for failing to address what he called “lazy employees.”
“I’m sorry,” said Hodges. “I was trying to even things out which was the wrong thing to do. I’m sorry for the people who got caught up in my irritation.”
Hodges said following his release from prison, his son was killed in a motorcycle crash and he was no longer allowed to attend his church as a registered sex offender.
“I really feel bad for other people getting involved,” said Hodges. “It’s what happens when you get isolated and you don’t have your support group. It just gets out of control. I tried to do the right thing and nothing ever changed.”
Adrianna Beard and her mother Nicole Byers have hired local personal injury attorney Dan Chamberlain.
“Just talking to Adrianna, she really wants to make sure they do something and they’re held accountable for what happened,” said Byers.
Chamberlain told Call 6 Investigates there are possibly 18 victims, and half a dozen have already contacted his office.
"Goodwill clearly violated their duty to their employees and to the volunteers and to the other people who use Goodwill to donate items and shop,” said Chamberlain. “It's a violation of trust and you can't get that back. It’s sickening."
Chamberlain said every employer has a duty to be diligent and to monitor and supervise employees.
“You owe it to your employees and when you don’t do that you violate their trust,” said Chamberlain. “Goodwill failed.”
Chamberlain said one client involved in the Goodwill case came to his office and was afraid to use the restroom.
“She asked me to go into the women’s restroom and check to make sure there were no cameras,” said Chamberlain.
As for Adrianna Beard, she quit her job at Goodwill and said there’s no reason to believe the videos were shared publicly.
However, she still has anxiety about using the bathroom.
"At school sometimes, I will check and make sure no one is watching me,” said Beard.
It’s hard for her mother to watch.
"It's heartbreaking that is something she has to deal with right now,” said Byers. “We take it for granted just being able to go into a space and hurry up and go to the bathroom."
They’re speaking out to encourage Goodwill and other employers to revisit their hiring and supervision procedures.
"If they are going to hire people like this, they need to let coworkers know especially if they're minors,” said Beard. “Let them know, let the parents know, so they can say are you sure you want your child to be here?"
A spokesperson for Goodwill said Hodges is no longer an employee with the company.
“As soon as Goodwill was made aware of allegations of an incident that occurred at our Allisonville Road store, the Fishers Police Department was contacted,” read a statement provided to Call 6 Investigates. “This is currently an ongoing investigation being coordinated by the Fishers Police Department and the Hamilton County Metropolitan Child Exploitation Task Force. The safety and well-being of our current employees, clients and customers is paramount.”
Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana is reviewing its employment and retail policies and procedures.
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