Receipt for spy cam led police to bust Sherwood priest

OREGON
KGW

SHERWOOD, Ore. – An arrest warrant has been issued for Father Ysrael Bien, a Sherwood priest who waited nearly a month to report a hidden camera found in a church bathroom to the police.

A break in the case came last week when a customer query led the owners of a Texas company called SpyGuy to Google the original story about the scandal. They determined that someone named Ysrael Bien had purchased a spy camera disguised as an electrical plug and called Sherwood police.

Father Bien of the St. Francis Church in Sherwood was placed on administrative leave June 24, according to a spokesman for the church.

The warrant issued to him was for personal invasion of privacy, tampering with physical evidence and initiating a false report was issued August 18.

Officials at the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon issued a statement late Tuesday that said they were “saddened” that prosecutors brought criminal charges against Bien.

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