An Altoona man is facing charges after allegedly using his phone to record people while they were using the restroom in a local business, court documents stated.

In April, Hollidaysburg police were notified a phone was discovered recording in a bathroom vent at D’Ottavio’s Italian House, 306 Allegheny St., a criminal complaint stated.

On Tuesday, police spoke to an employee, who said she discovered the phone while tying her shoe, police reported. The employee notified a co-worker, and the two were able to remove the phone from its hidden location and determine it had been recording for about 28 minutes, court documents stated.

As the employees searched for some indication of who owned the phone, longtime employee James P. Huff, 50, ran to the bathroom and snatched the phone from one of the other employee’s hands, a criminal complaint stated.

Huff allegedly told them he was trying to voice record a customer, police reported. One of the employees allegedly reported the incident to D’Ottavio’s owner, who brushed off the incident because Huff claimed to only be voice recording, court documents stated.

Five days after the phone’s discovery was reported to police, the employee who discovered the phone told police no one at D’Ottavio’s was talking about the incident and she saw Huff in the same bathroom with his phone on multiple occasions since, according to a criminal complaint.

Police compiled a search warrant for the phone and visited Huff at his home on Wednesday.

Huff allegedly told police he was only trying to record voice, not video, but his phone didn’t work properly when he made the recording, police reported.

Court documents stated Huff alleged he made the recording because he was worried employees were talking behind his back, and he wanted to know what they were saying.

When police reviewed the content on the phone, they discovered a video recorded inside in the bathroom of a man and two women using the facilities, court documents stated.

The video also revealed Huff attached his phone to a pole and raised it up behind a bathroom vent to record, police reported.

Huff was arraigned Wednesday by Magisterial District Judge Paula Aigner on felony charges related to the criminal use of a communication device as well as a misdemeanor charge of invasion of privacy, court documents stated.

Huff is free after posting 10% of his $50,000 cash bail Wednesday. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11 with Aigner.

Mirror Staff Writer Ike Fredregill is at 814-946-7458.