Probation for onetime Wright County fitness center owner who watched woman undress with secret camera
A onetime fitness center owner in Wright County has been sentenced to probation for using a secret camera to watch a woman undress in the facility's tanning booth.
Randall D. Roiger, 46, of Dassel, was sentenced Wednesday in District Court in connection with the woman's allegations from January 2019 while a patron at Snap Fitness in Annandale. Jurors convicted him in July of interference with privacy, a gross misdemeanor.
Judge Stephen Halsey stayed a one-year jail term and put Roiger on two years' probation. During the time, he must complete 12 hours of community work service in each of those two years by speaking to a veterans group or students.
The gym remains open but under new ownership and management.
The fitness center patron, a 42-year-old woman, alerted police after noticing the camera on Jan. 18, 2019. In January, the woman sued Roiger, the business and Chanhassen-based Snap Fitness, which has more than 2,000 clubs open or scheduled for development across the United States and in more than 20 countries.
The personal injury suit alleges that Roiger installed the surveillance camera in the booth and watched the woman as she "repeatedly removed her clothing … without knowing she was being viewed."
The suit seeks at least $50,000 in damages and contended at the time of the filing that the woman continued to suffer from numerous emotional and physical problems including "loss of dignity, fear of public bathrooms … embarrassment [and] feelings of paranoia."
A hearing in the civil case is scheduled for March.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
