A Duluth-area high school teacher and coach admitted to police that he had secretly photographed women for years after investigators confronted him with surveillance video from a car wash where they say he photographed a 21-year-old woman’s buttocks while she was bent over vacuuming her vehicle, according to a police report obtained by Alpha News.
Michael Scrignoli, 63, was cited for misdemeanor interference with privacy after police say he used his cellphone to photograph the young woman at Tommy’s Car Wash in Duluth on June 9.
According to the Duluth Police Department report, investigators interviewed Scrignoli at Denfeld High School, where he works as a special education teacher and coaches boys and girls golf and cross country.
During the interview, police say Scrignoli initially denied taking photographs before changing his account after investigators challenged him with surveillance footage.
An investigator wrote that Scrignoli first claimed he had been on his phone at the car wash because he received a work-related call. According to the report, Scrignoli said he deleted the call from his phone log to save space. Investigators then asked him to explain surveillance video they had already reviewed.
“When I confronted Michael about the video showing him taking pictures of [victim], he admitted that he did not receive a call and he had in fact been taking pictures of [victim’s] legs and buttocks,” the investigator wrote, adding that Scrignoli acknowledged the seriousness of what he had done.
“He repeatedly said that it was a mistake and a stupid thing to do that could, ‘ruin’ his career as an educator at Denfeld High School.”
Surveillance video captured the encounter
According to the report, surveillance footage reviewed by the investigator shows the victim “cleaning out her vehicle. She is at the front driver’s door and leans into her vehicle with the vacuum hose … [The victim] is wearing tight fitting shorts, which come down to just below her buttocks.”
The report states Scrignoli looked in her direction before repositioning himself.
“Michael appears to get on his phone and position it at [a] low and abnormal angle as he directs the phone’s camera face at [victim],” the investigator wrote. “Michael then repositions himself again and moves his phone closer to [victim].”
According to the report, Scrignoli stepped to within what appeared to be less than 24 inches of the woman.
“As Michael moves the the phone closer to [victim] he gets what appears to be less than 2 feet away from her buttocks and angles his phone nearly to an upward angle. Based on this video I believed he was taking photographs of her buttocks and adjusting his angle to get closer to her as she is bent over,” the reports states.
The investigator wrote that a car wash employee immediately confronted Scrignoli.
The report states the woman stepped away from her vehicle, “appears to uncomfortably pull the legs of her shorts down to her mid thigh and is later seen being comforted and hugged by the staff member who intervened.”
Police questioned Scrignoli about other photos
During the interview, investigators asked Scrignoli whether there would be similar photographs on his phone.
According to the report, he replied, “Maybe yes.”
Police also asked whether any of the photographs involved students.
According to the report, Scrignoli answered, “one hundred percent not students.”
Investigators asked how long he had been taking photographs like the one at the car wash, the report says.
According to the report, Scrignoli “admitted to taking these type of photos of other women for the last several years.”
The report states Scrignoli told investigators he did not know why the behavior had started and wished he could explain it, saying he found people attractive and was not trying to scare anyone or capture their faces.
Forensic examination found no alleged photos of victim
After interviewing Scrignoli, investigators seized his iPhone and obtained a search warrant authorizing a forensic examination of the device.
According to the report, investigators ultimately did not recover the alleged photographs of the victim.
The forensic review did, however, document internet searches related to “upskirt” pornography as well as searches involving erotic massages, female escorts, Ashley Madison, adult personals and other adult content, according to the report.
Investigators also wrote they located pornography images depicting exposed female genitalia that appeared to have originated from pornography websites.
Citation issued
Based on the investigation, Duluth police determined there was probable cause to issue Scrignoli a citation for misdemeanor interference with privacy by using a surreptitious device to observe, photograph or record intimate parts.
Court records show Scrignoli is scheduled to make his first court appearance Sept. 15.
Alpha News has contacted Duluth Public Schools to ask whether Scrignoli remains employed by the district, whether he has been placed on leave or disciplined, and whether the district has opened an internal investigation. The district had not responded by publication time.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
