Florida physical therapist faces voyeurism charge for allegedly recording teen girl while changing

A Florida physical therapist faces a video voyeurism charge after police say he secretly recorded a 16-year-old girl getting undressed to put on a gown before treatment.

Officers with Lake Wales Police Department arrested 38-year-old Dr. Pola Gayed, DPT of Ava Rehab Clinic on Monday, according to online court documents. He then had his first court appearance on Tuesday, according to local Fox13 Tampa Bay.

Police said the girl noticed a Ring-like camera in the changing room where she undressed to put on a gown. She then continued the appointment without saying anything about the camera, but police say Gayed noticed she was acting unusually. Once she left the exam room, Gayed allegedly took the camera offline and deleted the footage. 

Later that day, the victim told her parents she noticed camera with a recording light on in the room she was asked to change in, and they contacted police. 

SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR EXPLAINS WHY FLORIDA CUT COURSE REQUIREMENT: ‘TOO MUCH ABOUT SOCIAL ACTIVISM’

“When our guys went into the make the arrest on the 29th, that Ring camera was back in the same location again just prior to our victim’s appointment,” Schulze said. 

Gayed is charged with video voyeurism and fabricating physical evidence, which are both third degree felonies. His bond was set at $25,000, and he was ordered to not have contact with the victim, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. 

RETIRED CATHOLIC PRIEST, HIS SISTER AMONG 4 KILLED IN FLORIDA SHOOTING THAT INJURED 2 OFFICERS

“Obviously, she’s shaken. She’s upset by this. She’s a 16-year-old girl. I think any adult would be shaken by that,” Lake Wales Police Deputy Chief Troy Schulze said during a press conference.

Gayed is from Orlando, according to FOX 13. His biography on the AVA Rehab website says he has been practicing physical therapy since 2019, and that he is “very family oriented and happily married.”

 

He is a father of “two young children,” WFLA-TV reports. 

Police say the investigation continues, and they are unsure if there are any additional victims. They ask anyone with information about this case or others to contact them at 863-678-4223.