Police: Man hid camera in home of Palatine woman he dated
A Winnetka man accused of hiding a small video recording device in the home of a Palatine woman he once dated, was ordered held on $20,000 bail Friday.
Steven Kocour, 54, is charged with unlawful video recording at a residence and live video transmission. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison.
According to a news release issued by Palatine police Friday, the Palatine woman discovered the small camera concealed in her home on Jan. 11. She called police, who were able to trace the camera to Kocour, who lives on the 500 block of Hill Terrace in Winnetka, said police Cmdr. Craig Lesselyoung.
Lesselyoung said the police department's in-house expert used information on the camera's memory.
Prosecutors say the couple broke up in May after four years of dating. Kocour contacted the woman Jan. 10 and invited her to lunch the following day, but she didn't agree to go, said Cook County assistant state's attorney David Mennie.
Not long after, the woman discovered the motion-activated camera in a bedroom dresser, Mennie said. When Kocour arrived at her home about noon Jan. 11, the woman called police, who later found drilling equipment in his car, Mennie said.
Kocour next appears in court on Feb. 11.
• Daily Herald staff writer Barbara Vitello contributed to this report.