A Villager has entered a plea in a case in which he stands accused of videoing his naked granddaughters in the guest bedroom of his home.
Earl Vincent Knight Jr., 73, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Lake County Court to multiple counts of video voyeurism and possession of child pornography. He remains free on $26,000 bond following his arrest Tuesday by Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents at his home at 548 St. Andrews Blvd. on the Historic Side of The Villages.
Knight, a native of Massachusetts, is being represented by attorney William Ezzell of Gainesville. Documents on file in Lake County Court also show that Knight does not qualify for representation by the public defender’s office. He receives $1,600 in monthly Social Security benefits and receives $1,300 per month in retirement/pension income.
When FDLE agents arrived at his home at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Knight provided passwords for his phone, iPad and desktop computer and admitted he looked at pornography on his computer using Periscope, according to an arrest report. When an agent began asking about videos recorded inside the home Knight has occupied for five years with his wife, he asked for a lawyer and stopped cooperating.
Knight’s wife told investigators she was aware of surveillance cameras set up inside and outside their home, but had no idea there was a hidden camera that “would have captured anyone undressing in private,” the report said. When she was shown three of the images, Knight’s wife began crying. They were identified as her grandchildren.
A Logitech video camera was found in the guest bedroom.
