An award-winning photography supervisor at an Oklahoma City news station is behind bars this week after investigators say he planted hidden cameras in dressing rooms to film people in private.
Darrell Lee Vannostran, 40, was arrested Tuesday at his home on complaints of using video equipment in a clandestine manner. The investigation began on March 24, when janitorial staff at KWTV discovered two cameras hidden inside dressing areas.
According to a police affidavit, the devices and their battery packs were mounted with Velcro strips underneath clothing racks.
Investigators who reviewed the footage found on SD cards inside the cameras confirmed the devices recorded multiple people using the rooms to change clothes. Police noted that the cameras had been repositioned and accessed several times.
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Authorities linked Vannostran to the devices by comparing the footage timestamps to station access logs. Records indicated that Vannostran, who oversaw the station’s photography and videography department, entered the building at times he was not scheduled to work—entries that aligned perfectly with when the cameras were serviced.
“A review of the extracted video footage confirmed the cameras had been active and had recorded multiple subjects who used the dressing room areas in private settings,” an investigator wrote in the affidavit.
When questioned by law enforcement on April 2, Vannostran reportedly admitted he was aware of the cameras.
After he obtained legal counsel, police seized his phones and three USB drives, which allegedly contained images of people undressing. It remains unclear if the victims captured on camera were station employees or guests.
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Vannostran was a prominent figure at the station, having recently won several Heartland TV Emmy awards in 2025 for his work as a photographer and editor. Since the investigation began, his employment at the station has ended, though officials have not specified if he resigned or was terminated.
Vannostran is currently being held on a $25,000 bond.
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