On Monday evening, April 07, a RecPlex member approached a RecPlex staff member after seeing what appeared to be a camera placed inside a locker in the women’s locker room. After confirming the member’s observation, RecPlex staff contacted the Pleasant Prairie Police Department to investigate. Two cameras were located, one in an upper locker and one in a lower locker. The owner of the cameras was located and taken into custody the same evening.
Pleasant Prairie Police have initiated an investigation and have arrested 27-year old Melissa A. Wenckebach of Pleasant Prairie for Representations Depicting Nudity (felony) and a 36-year old Waukegan man for Party to Representations Depicting Nudity (felony). Wenckebach became a RecPlex member in January of 2014. Wenckebach’s membership has been terminated, and she has been arrested.
Police are currently investigating how the video was used or if it was distributed. Pleasant Prairie Police are working cooperatively with the Waukegan Police and the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Office. On Tuesday, April 8, a search warrant was executed at a Waukegan residence related to the matter. Police are monitoring the situation closely and will be reviewing evidence recovered to identify potential victims.
Children involved in the preschool and before or after school programs at RecPlex do not use the women’s locker room, but instead use the family locker room with their class and their teachers. According to information gathered, this act was isolated to the women’s locker room between the months of January and early April (a period of approximately 3 months).
RecPlex has a strict policy prohibiting the use of photography or videography inside locker rooms and has been conducting locker room inspections in order to enforce this policy and others. In response to this secretive, felony act, RecPlex has instituted additional security measures to help protect members against this form of crime within the facility. Staff has also increased inspections of the facility’s locker rooms. Any time patrons have concerns related to something seen in the facility, we ask that they please approach a RecPlex staff member and share their concern so we may investigate accordingly.
“While we are unable to predict when people will enter this facility with malicious intent, when an incident like this occurs, we are prepared to take serious action to hold the parties accountable for their actions. This is not a matter we take lightly,” explained Village Administrator Michael Pollocoff. If you believe that you have information that could assist in this investigation or you have concerns regarding the invasion of your privacy related to this matter, please contact the Pleasant Prairie Police Department at 262.948.8910 or email [email protected]. The investigation into this matter is ongoing. As updates become available, they will be shared with media outlets and will be made available at http://pleasantprairieonline.com/services/police/news.asp.