Ex-boyfriend accused of hiding spy camera in woman’s bedroom

A Cheney man is accused of entering his ex-girlfriend’s Liberty Lake home last month, burning several items and secretly installing a wireless camera to spy on her in her bedroom.

The ex-girlfriend called Liberty Lake police on March 27 to report coming home to find several items that Jeremy F. Alvis, 41, had given her while they were dating burned in the backyard fire pit. Other items he had purchased for her were piled on her bed with his photo placed above them, according to court records.

Alvis is facing charges of residential burglary, malicious mischief and voyeurism in connection with the incident. He was released on his own recognizance after a brief court appearance Wednesday.

His attorney, Mark Hodgson, said in court that the allegations were “salacious” and his client has no criminal history. State records indicate that Alvis is the owner of Vertical Works LLC, a landscaping company, and applied for a marijuana producer license with the state Liquor Control Board. That application still is pending.

The ex-girlfriend told police that Alvis had a key to her home and when she asked for it back after they broke up he claimed to have lost it. A neighbor told police that he saw Alvis leave the home March 27 carrying a mattress pad that was missing from the bed, according to court documents.

The woman called police again March 31 to report finding a camera hidden in a light fixture above her bed. She said she was suspicious that Alvis was spying on her and asked a friend with computer skills to check her home. The friend found evidence that a device was hooked up to her home computer’s Wi-Fi, according to court records.

The camera was connected to a wireless device hidden in the attic, said Liberty Lake police Chief Brian Asmus.

“It was streaming live,” he said. “It was very well hidden.”

The ex-girlfriend requested a restraining order. After it was served on Alvis, the woman’s father reportedly received several text messages from Alvis. In those messages he allegedly confessed to the burglary because he wanted to “send a message” and promised not to bother the victim if she dropped the restraining order, Asmus said.

Police arrested Alvis on the criminal charges when he appeared in District Court Tuesday for a hearing on the restraining order. Police then searched his home on Meadow Lake Road in Cheney and seized his electronic devices for analysis.

Hodgson declined to comment on the allegations Thursday other than to say Alvis would plead not guilty to the charges.