Ex-NC college worker admits to secretly filming wife, guests in bathroom of home
A former Davidson College worker pleaded guilty Wednesday to secretly filming his now ex-wife and guests in a bathroom of the couple’s Mooresville home to sexually gratify himself.
Jeremy Michael Whitworth, 50, left an Iredell County courtroom as a free man, sentenced to the maximum five years probation and no jail time. He also faces criminal charges in a Davidson College case.
Superior Court Judge Joe Crosswhite said he was limited to what the General Assembly set as the maximum for felony secret peeping — probation.
In April, a grand jury indicted Whitworth on all five charges in the case. All were related to secret recordings in a bathroom of his home, Assistant District Attorney Mikko Red Arrow told the judge. The cases were consolidated from five to two for Wednesday’s plea.
“Mr. Whitworth got to a low place,” his lawyer, Tim Cannady of Charlotte, told Crosswhite. “He has taken responsibility for those actions.”
At Cannady’s request, Crosswhite ordered the Mooresville Police Department to destroy recordings made on a cell phone and other devices that police seized from Whitworth’s former home.
Whitworth, who lives in Alexander County, also must complete a psychological assessment, a sex-offense related evaluation at a treatment center and perform 50 hours of community service, Crosswhite ruled.
Whitworth must register as a sex offender only if he fails to comply with the judge’s orders.
As he left the courtroom, Cannady told The Charlotte Observer that neither he nor Whitworth would comment about the plea because of the pending Mecklenburg County charges. Whitworth, wearing a suit jacket and white button-down dress shirt, declined to speak when Crosswhite offered him the chance during his plea.
Secret filming in college maintenance building
In April, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police charged Whitworth with secretly using or installing a photographic imaging device to arouse or gratify sexual desire, which is a felony, and possessing a photographic image obtained by peeping, according to an April 3 police affidavit.
The charges involve the secret filming of Whitworth’s former co-worker in a Davidson College maintenance building from December 2020 to May 2021, according to court documents.
Whitworth was an electrician on the Davidson College facilities staff, police said. He worked at the college since 2005 or 2006, campus Police Chief Julian Coaxum said at the time.
The woman didn’t know she’d been filmed until police met with her on March 22 at the Davidson College Police Department, according to the affidavit. She agreed to pursue charges, police said.
In a message to the campus community in November, Davidson College president Doug Hicks said he was “deeply sorry and angry” about the case, which he called “very distressing.”
College staff searched possible locations for a hidden camera, Hicks wrote. “None were found,” he said. The college later called in licensed electronics experts to help in the search, Hicks said.
Whitworth is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Feb. 4, 2026, in Mecklenburg County Criminal Superior Court, court records show. At an arraignment, a person tells a judge whether they intend to plead guilty or not guilty. Another bond is set, and a trial date scheduled.