An Ephrata man will serve at least 15 years in prison – and 50 years under supervision – for video-taping females in fitting rooms in Lancaster and three surrounding counties.
Matthew John Hummel was on probation for past convictions of similar crimes when he was caught last year filming a woman in a fitting room at Old Navy, 1700 Fruitville Pike.
Hummel pleaded guilty this week in Lancaster County Court to 24 charges regarding similar acts last year in Lancaster, Berks, Cumberland and York Counties. Aside from secretly filming females in fitting rooms, Hummel would record “upskirt” videos of females – all on an iPod police recovered during the investigation.
Hummel, 36, will serve 15 to 30 years in state prison, followed by 20 years of probation, according to Assistant District Attorney Karen Mansfield who arranged the plea agreement.
County Judge Jeffery Wright accepted the plea terms and ordered sentence. Hummel must register his whereabouts with police, under Megan’s Law, for the rest of his life.
At Old Navy on Nov. 4, 2015, the victim, while partially undressed, noticed an iPod recording her by a partition of rooms. She screamed and a male in the next room fled the store.
Police determined, through witnesses and surveillance video, that Hummel was the male who fled.
Hummel, 36, confessed to police to that crime and to taking other recordings at other businesses. He turned over the iPod to investigators.
Police in neighboring counties assisted Lancaster County investigators. Prosecutors in those counties granted Mansfield permission to handle prosecution of all the incidents.
Lancaster city police Detective Gareth Lowe filed charges.
Hummel pleaded guilty to 23 counts of invasion of privacy and one count of possessing an instrument of crimes (the iPod).
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright