“How to damage your career in one easy lesson.”
For those thinking of eavesdropping… best advice: Don’t Do It!
Country singer Laine Hardy was arrested Friday on a charge of eavesdropping. Hardy, who won Season 17 of “American Idol” in 2019, turned himself in to the Louisiana State University police after his ex-girlfriend found a recording device planted in her dorm room, according to Baton Rouge ABC affiliate WBRZ TV.
A warrant was filed for the 21-year-old musician after the victim found a recording device under her bed at Azalea Hall back in February. She told police the device first appeared to be a phone charger, but she realized it was an audio recorder after looking it up online.
Investigators found several recordings on the device dating back as far as Feb. 10, including some where they could hear Hardy’s “very distinguishable” voice. Some of the recordings were taken after the two had broken up in February, according to arrest documents.
The student told police that she and her roommate were watching a movie the night of April 6 when they saw a device that looked like a cellphone charger beneath her futon. After a Google search, she discovered it was a voice-activated audio recorder.
She said she dated Hardy from November through February, which is when she first learned there had been a bug in her room. On Feb. 18, the victim said, she discovered a fake Instagram account on Hardy’s phone that he had been using “to cover up that he was illegally recording her when she was not around,” according to the affidavit.
“The victim advised she immediately confronted him, to which he admitted to her that he left a ‘bug’ in her room but discarded it,” the affidavit said. The victim also told police that Hardy admitted this again during a conversation the two had over Snapchat several weeks after they broke up.
LSU police described the device as a VR-500 recorder, which sells for about $130. Online advertising says it appears to be an ordinary portable battery charger but actually has a powerful microphone and voice-amplification circuits that can “discreetly record voices from up to 60 feet away.”
Friday morning, an LSU police vehicle arrived at East Baton Rouge Parish Prison as a cadre of reporters and photographers watched.
Hardy was booked on interception and disclosure of wire, electronic or oral communication, a felony punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and prison time from two to 10 years. Hardy was released Friday afternoon on his own recognizance, meaning he did not have to post bail. If he fails to show up for later court appearances, he could be fined $5,000. He did not speak to reporters gathered nearby.
More info:
https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/laine-hardy-investigated-by-lsu-police-following-allegations
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/laine-hardy-arrested-eavesdropping-american-idol_n_626c0e2ce4b050c90f40088f
https://www.wbrz.com/news/new-details-in-lsu-police-investigation-involving-american-idol-winner-laine-hardy
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/article_e2caa156-c7d1-11ec-9d35-dff302eaebd6.html