Trial in Peeping Landlord Case Moved to July
Hughes
5-22-13
The trial date for an Iowa City landlord accused of secretly watching female tenants in the shower has been moved to July.
63-year-old Elwyn Gene Miller of Sharon Center Road is charged with 11 counts of invasion of privacy. His trial, originally slated to begin in late February, is now set for July 30.
Police say Miller admitted to viewing at least four different women as they showered in his property at 639 South Lucas Street between August 1st and October 31st. Miller watched the victims through peepholes in the ceilings of the building’s top floor apartments. Police say he admitted that at least once a week he would go to a peephole if he heard the shower running in that apartment. Miller also said he had viewed each of his victims at least two or three times.
The victims told police they reported the holes in the ceilings during pre-occupancy damage reports before they moved in, but they were never repaired.
Miller’s scheme was uncovered last Halloween when one of the victims caught Miller in the act.
During a subsequent investigation Iowa City Police discovered four additional peepholes at 639 South Lucas. Miller also allegedly spied on a woman living on the lower level of a duplex he owns at 1024 East Burlington Street.
If convicted on all counts Miller faces a maximum of 11 years in prison.
Three of Miller’s former tenants have also filed a civil lawsuit against him seeking unspecified reparations for emotional distress, psychological trauma, and medical bills.
