Police: Man snapped pics of woman changing at tanning salon

DUNWOODY, Ga. — A Dunwoody man is facing peeping Tom charges after police said he took pictures of an unsuspecting woman at a Sandy Springs tanning salon.

Cary Miller, 47, faces one count of unlawful surveillance stemming from the Jan. 9 incident at the Palm Beach Tan on Mount Vernon Highway.

"I couldn't believe it. I was in shock," said the 28-year-old victim, who asked Channel 2 Action News to conceal her identity. "I just felt very violated."

The woman told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik she was finishing up her tanning session and getting dressed, when she saw Miller holding a cellphone over the wall from an adjacent booth taking pictures of her.

"I panicked, grabbed all my stuff and ran out of the room," she said.

The victim said Miller hid out in his tanning booth for a short while, then emerged very nervous.

"He kept backing up towards the door trying to leave," she said. "The last thing he said was, 'My daughter's in the hospital with a heart condition. I've got to go,' and he ran out the door."

Sandy Springs Police Captain Steve Rose told Petchenik officers used information from Miller's salon registration and his tag number to track him to his Dunwoody home.

"Subsequently (they) charged him with peeping Tom because he admitted he'd done this," said Rose.

Rose said detectives have since searched Miller's iPhone and found no other images of women in salons. He said the incident should be a wake-up call to people who use tanning salons.

"Don't assume your privacy is complete," he said. "At least be aware, like this woman was, of your surroundings."

Petchenik went to Miller's home for comment, but nobody answered the door. A neighbor told Petchenik he was surprised by the allegations.

"He always seemed to be a decent person. I never heard anything from any of the neighbors or anyone else bad about him," said Lew Geiger. "He seems to be a good family man and is helpful in the neighborhood when anybody needs something."

Palm Beach Tan released a statement to Petchenik about the incident:

"The safety of our customers and team members has always been, and remains, our top priority. An incident occurred at our store located on Mt. Vernon Highway in Sandy Springs, Ga. at approximately 3:30 pm on Thursday, January 9, 2014 which the police department is currently investigating. Because this is an active police investigation, we will not be making additional comments at this time and refer any media requests to the Sandy Springs Police Department."

Miller’s defense attorneys told Channel 2 Action News they plan to thoroughly investigate the allegations.

“What we do know, is he’s a good man who’s never been in any trouble in his life with a good wife and family and a good job, and this is totally out of character for him,” said Bob Rubin.  “What we would ask the community is to not rush to judgment against him, there is nothing to indicate that he has done anything like this in the past.”

WSBTV