Snohomish Co. Corrections Deputy Charged With Voyeurism

A Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office corrections deputy was charged with one count of voyeurism late last week stemming from an incident that police said occurred at the county jail earlier this summer.

Police said the incident occurred June 10 at the county jail when 52-year-old William Elliot volunteered to help another corrections deputy oversee some female inmates in the release area of the jail where they change their clothes before they leave the jail.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department said Elliott was not assigned to this area, and was told by the other corrections deputy that his help was not needed, but he stayed.

Police said both corrections deputies were in a room adjacent to the changing room. The corrections deputy who witnessed the alleged voyeurism said he saw Elliott looking at an angle through a small window between the two rooms as one woman changed from her jail-issued clothing to her personal clothing in a corner of the changing room. Police said the woman was not aware that she was being watched.

The corrections deputy who was in the room with Elliott at the time reported the incident to his supervisors, the Sheriff’s Department said.

The report was investigated by Sheriff’s Office detectives and referred to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office for review. The Sheriff’s Office will also be conducting an internal investigation into the matter.

The Snohomish man has been on paid administrative leave since June 25. He has been a corrections deputy for more than 22 years.