Dressing Room Ploy On Videotape

Fri., Oct. 3, 1997

From Staff And Wire Reports

The Kingdome employee accused of putting a video camera in the SeaGals dressing room didn’t get any pictures of the Seattle Seahawks cheerleaders. But he took a good shot of himself.

King County prosecutors on Thursday filed a misdemeanor charge of second-degree criminal trespass against Randal Jay Palmer, 37, an electrician who works in the Kingdome maintenance department.

He is accused of hiding a video camera in a light fixture in the room where the SeaGals change on the morning of Sept. 21, a few hours before a Seahawks football game against the San Diego Chargers.

A SeaGal spotted the camera lens and notified authorities.

Court documents give this account:

“The tape shows the defendant looking up at the ceiling in the changing room and using a remotecontrol unit to turn on the camera - apparently, unbeknownst to the defendant, the camera was already recording. When the defendant thought he was turning on the video camera, he apparently ejected the tape. The tape does not show any of the SeaGals.”

Palmer’s arraignment was scheduled for Oct. 14 in Seattle District Court.

Palmer has been suspended from his job, said John Arthur Wilson, a spokesman for the King County executive.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.