Gymnastics coach charged for voyeurism and sexual exploitation

WOODS CROSS, Utah — A gymnastics coach and business owner faces 20 official charges after police say he hid a camera in the bathroom of his business.

Adam Richard Jacobs, 33, was charged with 10 counts of voyeurism by electronic equipment concealed or disguised, and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.

Jacobs has no previous criminal history.

Jacobs co-owns USA Gymnastics World, located at 2044 W. 2425 South in Woods Cross. The camera was located in a unisex restroom within the business.

Man in custody, accused of filming children in the bathroom of his gymnastics business

Woods Cross Police held a news conference Thursday morning and explained another employee found the camera, which was disguised as a charging block for a cell phone.

The camera had been actively running from October up until a couple of weeks ago.

The device held a micro-SD card that held more than 500 files dating back to October 2022: including footage of 70 individuals who had been secretly filmed.

Police said a specialized search dog searched the parameter and did not find any other suspicious devices.

On Wednesday, investigators, along with multiple other departments, went to his residence where they arrested Jacobs.

“Several other items were taken from Adams” residence which are being processed as well,” Breeanna Hill, Woods Cross Police Officer said.

According to charging documents, because of Jacob’s position as a coach and ability to work with children in solo training, “their physical and sexual well-being and safety are of grave concern.”

Jacobs could face other charges in the future as police continue to investigate the contents of the SD card and other devices.

Charging documents state, “This list is by no means exhaustive as there appear to be approximately 81 videos of adults or possibly children…captured in various stages of undress.”

The release from Woods Cross police states, “If you are a victim, you will be notified. We are working as quickly as possible to notify everyone involved. We ask that concerned individuals refrain from contacting the department to allow investigators time to focus on notifying those impacted.”

“We understand this is a hard time for everyone, and people do feel violated,” said Hill.

Police say it is their understanding that the gym is still open.

 

This article previously stated that Jacobs faced an expected 40 charges. Since he has been officially charged for 20 crimes, that number was updated to reflect the actual charges against him.