Muckleshoot Casino Alleged Voyeurism in Restroom Leads to Washington State Arrest

Posted on: January 19, 2022, 09:10h. 

Last updated on: January 19, 2022, 10:41h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A registered sex offender has pleaded not guilty after he allegedly recorded an employee at the Muckleshoot Casino while in a toilet. The defendant was in the neighboring restroom stall during the Dec. 21 incident at the Auburn, Washington State property.

John Matthew Lair, 44, of Seattle was charged earlier this month with first-degree voyeurism, the Kent Reporter, a Washington State newspaper, reported last week.

Auburn Police claim Lair used a cell phone to make the video. Following an inquiry, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Lair on Jan. 6.

The casino employee said he was using a toilet when a man in the neighboring stall dropped his jacket “really hard,” the report reveals. The employee then spotted a cell phone emerging from the jacket pocket, the victim told authorities. It was under the partition between the two stalls.

Suspicious Activity

The suspect then allegedly touched the cell phone several times. He changed the position of the camera, the report adds. The victim said he could hear a “ding” sound. That led him to believe the suspect began recording him with the cell phone.

Given his concerns, the employee took out his own cell phone to record the episode. The victim later identified Lair as the suspect, the report said. It also appeared Lair was allegedly trying to hide the cell phone under the jacket.

The gaming property is owned and operated by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. It is located about 28 miles south of Seattle.

Prior Voyeurism Charge

Based on its investigation, the Kent Reporter reported that in 2019, Lair was convicted of attempted voyeurism. On Oct. 12, 2019, he was arrested at the Port of Seattle. He was charged with first-degree voyeurism, the newspaper reported, citing Washington State court documents.

In that incident, Lair allegedly put his jacket on a bathroom stall floor. Again, the jacket was placed to hide a cell phone, the report said.

It allegedly was used to take photographs and videos. That victim was urinating during the incident, the Reporter revealed. That case is pending in the Washington State courts.

Casino Shooting

In October a shooting near Muckleshoot Casino left one person wounded. A suspect was placed in custody. The unnamed suspect surrendered without any incident at his home, police told KOMO, a local TV station.