Milton man denied bond in smart-glasses spying case involving 13-year-old girl

A Milton man is behind bars after police say he used camera-equipped smart glasses to secretly record a 13-year-old girl through her bedroom window.

Christopher Hall was booked into the Fulton County Jail on Saturday, Aug. 15, on a felony charge of unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance. Judge John DeFoor II denied bond, according to The Roundabout. Hall remains in custody.

A preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday, Sept. 9.

The case dates to June 27, when the girl's mother found the glasses sitting on top of her car in the driveway of their Milton townhome, according to the arrest affidavit cited by WSB-TV. The camera lens was pointed toward the teenager's open bedroom window.

How detectives traced the glasses to Hall

Milton police reviewed footage already stored on the glasses and saw the wearer walking through the neighborhood. Detectives matched background details visible in the recordings, including trees, utility poles, surrounding townhomes and a pet dog, to features around Hall's property. The dog in the footage matched one detectives later observed inside Hall's home, according to the affidavit.

Police say the evidence contradicts an alternative explanation offered by an unidentified woman who described herself as Hall's friend. Speaking to WSB-TV reporter Michael Seiden on Tuesday, Aug. 18, outside Hall's home, the woman suggested he may have accidentally left the glasses after drinking at a gathering.

"I think he got drunk at a freaking party and left his glasses somewhere, and they happen to be facing someone's window," the woman told WSB-TV.

Hall did not answer the door when Seiden knocked. Milton police have not commented publicly beyond the arrest affidavit.

Potential penalties

Under Georgia law, it is illegal to use technology to clandestinely record activity inside another person's private space where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. A conviction under O.C.G.A. §§ 16-11-62 and 16-11-69 carries one to five years in prison, fines up to $10,000, or both.

Investigators have not said whether additional footage was found on the device or whether further charges may follow.

Residents with information can contact the Milton Police Department at 678-242-2500.