MOORESVILLE, N.C (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A 50-year-old Mooresville realtor is facing 11 counts of felony secret peeping after investigators said he used cameras disguised as smoke detectors to film unaware visitors, according to the Iredell County Sherriff’s Office.
According to online records, Chad Krantz, who has been a licensed realtor since 2013, was accused of spying on his wife and visitors dating back to late Sept.
Krantz’s wife told Queen City News that she discovered two cameras inside her smoke detectors sometime around Sept. 26.
She immediately contacted authorities, who came out and discovered several other cameras hiding inside the home.
Neither Ms. Krantz nor authorities have said precisely how long the cameras appear to have been there.
Authorities searched Mr. Krantz’s home on Sept. 29 and found computers, cameras, and SD cards and seized them as evidence.
The 50-year-old was arrested on Oct. 14 and charged with Felony Secret Peeping.
The attorney for Ms. Krantz released a statement and said that there is no reason to believe that Chad Krantz had the ability to install any other devices on properties that his wife and her realty team helped sell over the past several years.
“First and foremost, this has and will continue to be a traumatizing experience for Ms. Krantz. No one should have to go through something like this. We are also deeply sympathetic to any individuals who have been victims of Mr. Krantz’s alleged criminal conduct while they were spending time at the Krantz’s residence. Ms. Krantz’s privacy and the privacy of the victims should be respected as the criminal investigation continues.
“Additionally, Ms. Krantz is the Broker in Charge of LKN Partners, a franchise of Weichert Realtors. Ms. Krantz and her firm have an exceptional reputation in the community, and it is our belief that Mr. Krantz’s alleged criminal conduct should not be used to harm the reputation of Weichert Realtors-LKN Partners or the other agents who work with the firm. While Mr. Krantz is a licensed real estate agent and, on paper, a part owner of Weichert Realtors-LKN Partners, he has not marketed or sold a home for Weichert Realtors-LKN Partners in approximately seven years. To the best of our knowledge, he has not been inside of any homes that Weichert Realtors-LKN Partners has marketed or sold in the last several years. Ms. Krantz is the individual who truly runs and operates the firm.
“Furthermore, on Ms. Krantz’s behalf, I, along with my team at Godley, Glazer & Funk acted swiftly with the filing of various lawsuits to protect Ms. Krantz and Weichert Realtors-LKN Partners. In fact, as of earlier today, an Order was entered in the Iredell County District Court Division which requires Mr. “Krantz to transfer sole ownership of Weichert Realtors-LKN Partners to Ms. Krantz and further restricts Mr. Krantz from having any involvement with the firm whatsoever. This has given Ms. Krantz reassurance that she and the agents at her firm will be able to continue to serve the community and shield the business and their clients from the interruption of the ongoing criminal investigation.
“For anyone in the community who may be concerned that Mr. Krantz has perpetrated his alleged criminal conduct outside of the Krantz’s personal residence, you may direct any such concerns to the authorities. Finally, for anyone who is currently working with Weichert Realtors-LKN Partners or who may work with them in the future, please know that as a result of Orders that were previously entered in the Iredell County District Court Division, as well as the Order that was entered today, Mr. Krantz will have no involvement with the firm whatsoever.”
HOW TO DETECT IF THERE ARE HIDDEN CAMERAS IN YOUR HOUSE, HOTEL, OR RENTAL?
Queen City News spoke with Spike, the owner of Spy Tech in Belmont.
Throughout his three decades of experience in surveillance technology, Spike has seen an industry that has become much more user-friendly, with small-scale gear and the ability to view it from anywhere.
He said that smoke detector cameras “are old school. They’ve been around for a long time.”
Cameras are now small enough to fit in clocks, iPhone charges, and Febreze cans that can be typically found in bathrooms or bedrooms.
Skip said, unfortunately, the bad guy knows what he’s doing.
He concentrates on one thing.
“You are at a disadvantage because you have to look for all kinds of things throughout the room, or the company, or the business,” Skip said.
It takes a trained eye to spot hidden cameras, but it can be almost impossible to see.
Skip relies on a Duel Ban Radio Frequency Detector, which can pick up the frequency of a camera simply recording, or one that is streaming the video via WiFi to another source.
“By and large, the biggest threat is transmitting cameras,” Skip said.
If you purchase this material, he suggests you take your time going methodically around the room or building you stay in to ensure enough time to pick up each frequency.
If you stumble upon something, he suggests you do not move it and contact an expert or the authorities.
