Mandan officer accused of recording minor in bathroom

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Court documents filed Monday accuse a Mandan police officer of setting up a phone in the exhaust fan of a bathroom and recording a minor.

Morton County deputies say the minor found a cell phone in a vent of the bathroom recording while they had showered. The minor told deputies when they reviewed the 15-minute video, they could see themselves undressing and getting in and out of the shower.

Deputies say the victim had found two videos of themself on 45-year-old Scott Warzecha’s phone from October and November.

Investigators say they located the exhaust fan in the bathroom and noticed it had been cut to create a window. They also located dried blood next to the fan.

Investigators have requested a search warrant for Warzecha’s phone and a sample of his DNA to compare to the dried blood in the bathroom.

Warzecha is charged with use of a minor in a sexual performance and two counts of surreptitious intrusion.

Warzecha has been a police officer with the Mandan Police Department for six years. He recently became a K-9 handler in 2019.

The Mandan Police Department says Warzecha’s employment with the department has been terminated Wednesday.

In a statement, the department said officer Warzecha was placed on administrative leave Saturday pending possible criminal charges.

The department said Warzecha’s actions violated Mandan Police Department policy.

The internal investigation was completed by the Morton County Sheriff’s Office and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations.

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