SAN RAFAEL, CA — Dennis Saunders, with a criminal history of spying on women since 1979, recently completed a sentence for covertly videotaping two women. His attorney has requested that the local police return some of the “evidence” that they acquired in his case. That “evidence” was Saunders’ collection of 500 porn DVDs and 200 adult magazines.The police are refusing to give the porn back to Saunders, even though his lawyer protests that the collection is irrelevant to his conviction and is completely legal to possess. Saunders has filed suit against the police department and the city to get his stuff back.
Arrested in 2002 for videotaping residents of the apartments that he was manager of, Saunders recorded the women in their bedrooms and bathrooms. The police searched Saunders’ home and workshop and found hundreds of amateur and professionally-produced adult videos, some made by Saunders himself. A list of things seized by the police runs 40 pages long. He ended up being convicted of 48 misdemeanor counts, with the jury deadlocked on two felony burglary counts. He was sentenced to a little over eight years for his crimes, but was released last month on good behavior.
Jon Rankin, Saunders’ attorney is not seeking to have his criminally-obtained videos returned, just the legal ones that Saunders purchased like any other consumer. Rankin estimates that the worth of Saunders’ collection is more than $10,000.
“Nobody wants to have to go through the courts, but if they leave you no alternative, you either run away like a whipped dog or you stand up for your rights,” Rankin said. “I think it’s more of a point of honor at this point. They said we’re keeping this stuff and we don’t have to give you any reasons why, and we say otherwise.”
The next hearing on the matter is set for the end of October.
