BY C.L. HARMON, PUBLISHER

A former Mannford resident and self-proclaimed ghost hunter has been arrested for eerie and creepy acts that could haunt those involved for years to come. Tommy Smith (43) has been accused of violating the “Peeping Tom” (Voyeurism) statute and added charges pertaining to doing so with minors. This haunting tale begins with a phone call from Smith to the Mannford Police Department inquiring as to a rumor that he was wanted for questioning by them and the FBI. He told the officer on duty that he believed he was wanted for questioning involving cameras that were discovered at his former residence in Mannford. He was currently living in Bixby and just wanted to explain that he is a paranormal investigator and the cameras were used in his investigations in hunting ghosts at his former residence on Hinton Street. A few minutes later the same officer received another call from a man who identified himself as the former roommate of Smith. He stated that his teenage children had been recorded in the bathroom of his home with a hidden camera by Smith, according to the affidavit. He further informed the officer that he had found a drywall patch on the wall separating his bedroom and the bathroom. He also told the officer that he had found out a week earlier that Smith had been texting his children. One specific text to his daughter (17) was Smith asking her if she had found a job. If not, he communicated that she could make a lot using a webcam and the computer, according to the affidavit. This specific comment was told to him by the mother, who had also discovered the Facebook messages.The mother lives in a different residence. It was at this point that that the father took down the bathroom mirror and realized the camera in the wall and the reflective tint on the corner of the mirror. He then contacted Smith by text asking about the camera. He was told it was for “ghost hunting stuff”. Apparently the father did not believe him since he used terms “police” and “FBI” in anger, according to the statement the father gave to the police. The mother, along with the oldest daughter, filed a complaint with Mannford PD based on all that she and her ex-husband had discovered. During this interview, it was stated that Smith had called the daughters names such as “sweetheart” , “sunshine”, “baby” and others. These were texted to both daughters. The younger daughter told her mother that she quit spending time with Smith because of the odd texts, his strange behavior and that he made her feel uncomfortable, according to the affidavit. The oldest daughter and the father gave permission to search the house. While there, they found the camera and corroborated all that had been told to them about the house. Smith was contacted and asked to come in for an interview. He agreed, stating that he wished to clear everything up. In his interview he maintained that the camera was for paranormal use and that he had researched online and found it to be legal to place the camera in the locations in which they were placed. He did admit to placing the bathroom camera and another in the living room and then appeared to drop the ghost hunting explanation altogether and tell police that he initially installed the cameras to record him with his “lovers”. It was during the review of one of these sessions from the bathroom that he realized he had captured the children and the father taking showers. He then added that watching the nude children was “icing on the cake”, according to the affidavit. He said that he had recorded others who had used the bathroom as well, but deleted all the videos from his computer. He also told police that he know this makes him look like some kind of a pervert, but he just got caught up in the act of recording for his own sexual gratification, according to the affidavit.