LATHAM A local pastor was arrested the day before Christmas Eve after a Latham thrift store called Colonie Police to report someone was peeping and recording a woman as she changed clothes in the store’s dressing room.
Rev. Adam Egan was arrested by Colonie Police at approximately 3:40 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 23, on two felony charges of unlawful surveillance and tampering with evidence after he allegedly recorded the victim changing her clothes at the Salvation Army thrift store at 350 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham.
Colonie Police Det. Sgt. Michael Franze said the 35-year-old was caught as he “held his cell phone over the divider” of the store’s dressing room, allegedly taking a video of a woman changing from her clothes. “She saw him. The police were called, and he fled.” Police located Egan on Aragon Avenue about 10 minutes later, where he was arrested and his electronic devices confiscated.
On his Twitter account, Egan identifies himself as a “husband, father, Episcopal Priest, Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Delmar NY and the Diocese of Albany. Avid Pittsburgh sports and NASCAR fan.”
In addition to the unlawful surveillance change, Colonie Police charged Egan with tampering with evidence after he allegedly deleted the video. Det. Sgt. Franze could not say whether Egan was witnessed deleting the video from his phone, or if he confessed to the crime.
Egan was arraigned in Colonie Justice Court in front of town justice Andrew Sommers, after which he was remanded to Albany County Correctional Facility without bail. He scheduled to appear in Colonie Justice Court again on Monday, Dec. 28, for a preliminary hearing.
As of Thursday morning, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church still had three services for Christmas Eve. A phone call to the church went unanswered. A message left on the church’s answering machine was not returned.
