California gym owner accused of hiding camera in bathroom. Now he faces new charges

The District Attorney’s Office is alleging the San Luis Obispo gym owner who admitted to hiding a camera in a restroom did so for sexual gratification, new charges filed on Wednesday shows.

That accusation runs counter to the story Cole Corrigan, 35, told The Tribune in an exclusive interview, when he claimed he planted the camera in order to catch a thief.

Corrigan was charged with five crimes after police searched his home in relation to a hidden camera found in the restroom of CCC Fitness, Corrigan’s gym “24-hour gym for Females,” in September.

The sixth charge comes after San Luis Obispo police said they found recorded video footage of two people on the camera — a contradiction to what what Corrigan previously told The Tribune.

Corrigan said he only livestreamed from the camera at CCC Fitness on Aug. 29 in an attempt to catch someone he believed was stealing from him, only to have the camera discovered by a new gym member.

Corrigan told The Tribune there was no memory card in the camera and that the camera’s feed could only be accessed via a live view within 30 feet.

But according to police, two people were captured on the hidden camera in the restroom at CCC Fitness. They have been notified, police said, and there are no additional people detectives are looking to contact.

The District Attorney’s Office filed an amended complaint against Corrigan on Wednesday morning.

He is now charged with two misdemeanor counts of using an instrument to record in an area of privacy for sexual gratification.

Corrigan did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The charge, PC 647(J)(2), applies to anyone accused of using any type of concealed camera to secretly film or photograph another identifiable person under or through the clothing being worn by that other person, for the purpose of viewing the body of or the undergarments worn by that other person without their consent or knowledge, with the intent to arouse, appeal to, or gratify the lust, passions, or sexual desires of that person and invade the privacy of that other person.

The District Attorney’s Office also added the evidence code 1108 to Corrigan’s charge sheet, meaning the prosecution intends to ask the judge to allow evidence of alleged previous similar sex crimes in order to establish a pattern.

Charged and uncharged alleged sex crimes can qualify under the evidence code, but it is ultimately the judge’s decision as to whether it can be admitted in court.

Corrigan is also charged with possessing a misdemeanor amount of testosterone, along with three felonies: felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition and possession of an undetectable firearm.

The testosterone, “ghost gun” and ammunition were found at Corrigan’s residence when detectives served a search warrant on Sept. 13.

A Tribune investigation found Corrigan had seven previous convictions for various crimes, including a felony drug charge, public intoxication, driving under the influence and prowling, between 2006 and 2008. However, all of those convictions were purged from his record in 2018, court documents show.

Corrigan pleaded not guilty to the charges on Sept. 27. His next court date is Nov. 28.

He has also since put the gym up for sale.