Ochsner employee arrested on accusations of illegally filming co-workers
JEFFERSON PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A doctor at a Jefferson Parish Ochsner hospital is behind bars accused of illegally videoing fellow employees, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
On Thursday deputies arrested 37-year-old resident trainee Andrew Matthews after receiving a complaint of finding a recording device reportedly hidden in a restroom. Deputies say they received a call at 11:30 a.m. from hospital security in the 1500 block of Jefferson Highway after an employee found the camera.
Security staff was able to locate who the device allegedly belonged to and turned Matthews and the camera in to deputies.
While searching the device, deputies reportedly found "dozens of videos taken inside what we believe are 'staff only' restrooms" with at least 10 people in the videos.
Matthews was initially booked on 10 counts of video voyeurism.
Regional Medical Director for Ochsner Medical Center George Loss released a statement on the incident:
We can confirm that a resident trainee has been arrested for allegedly unlawfully installing a recording device in an employee restroom at our Jefferson Highway campus. The individual has been terminated. An investigation by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is underway.
The safety of our patients, visitors and employees is our highest priority. Ochsner Health does not and will not tolerate violations of privacy or illegal activity of any kind.
While we cannot comment further on the details of an active investigation, we can reassure our community that our security team acted swiftly and conducted a thorough sweep of the campus, including all bathrooms, call rooms, and other private staff and patient areas. No other devices were found.
We are offering all available resources to support our teams. We will continue to work closely with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and our security and safety teams.
George Loss, Jr. MD, Regional Medical Director, Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans
No further details are available as the investigation is expected to go on for weeks, according to JPSO.