A Lake Superior College biology instructor admitted to secretly filming people using campus restrooms “for the purpose of sexual gratification” after a student caught him holding a cellphone beneath a bathroom stall, according to a criminal complaint alleging he recorded at least 22 victims over nearly a month — including a minor.
Maxwell Minor-Smith, 38, of Duluth, faces one felony count of interfering with privacy involving a minor under 18, as well as 18 gross misdemeanor counts of interfering with privacy.
The charges stem from alleged incidents between March 17 and April 15, 2026, in Lake Superior College bathrooms.
Lake Superior College told Alpha News that Minor-Smith taught biology courses for the past four years and that it is “likely PSEO students would have been in his classes over the years.”
The criminal complaint alleges Minor-Smith knew the college regularly served high school students taking PSEO classes, a fact prosecutors cite in the felony charge involving an alleged minor victim.
The college said Minor-Smith was terminated May 25 — about five weeks after he was placed on administrative leave following the start of the investigation.
The case marks the second Duluth-area educator charged with invasion-of-privacy-related offenses in recent weeks.
Last week, Alpha News reported that Duluth special education teacher and coach Michael Scrignoli was cited for misdemeanor interference with privacy after police alleged he secretly photographed a woman’s buttocks at a Duluth car wash. According to the police report, Scrignoli admitted to taking similar photographs of other women for years but told investigators they did not involve students.
Investigation into bathroom surveillance
The investigation into Minor-Smith began April 15 after a student noticed a cellphone protruding beneath a bathroom stall.
According to the complaint, the student, identified as Victim 14, was using a campus restroom when he observed a phone camera pointed beneath the stall, “appearing to record or take images of him.”
The complaint says the person holding the phone was bent or crouched near a urinal. The student was able to take a photograph of the individual’s hands holding the phone beneath the stall partition. The photos showed blue “HeyDude” shoes and a cellphone with a Superman case.
The individual eventually stood up, “appearing to peek through the cracks of the stall prior to exiting the bathroom.”
The student left moments later, and “between the time that the unknown individual exited the bathroom and the time that [the student] exited the bathroom, nobody else exited the bathroom,” the complaint states.
Security footage later identified the individual as Minor-Smith, a faculty member at Lake Superior College, the complaint says.
Instructor allegedly admitted recording victims
When investigators met with Minor-Smith on campus, they observed he was wearing the same blue “HeyDude” shoes seen in the student’s photographs.
According to the complaint, Minor-Smith voluntarily spoke with investigators and admitted to recording the student.
He also “admitted to taking surreptitious photos and videos of multiple people using the bathroom facilities at LSC,” according to the complaint.
Investigators say Minor-Smith told them he made the recordings “for the purpose of sexual gratification.”
Officers seized his cellphone — which had the Superman case described by the student — and obtained a search warrant to examine its contents.
Search of cellphone allegedly revealed additional victims
Investigators say the search of Minor-Smith’s cellphone revealed the alleged conduct was far more extensive.
According to the complaint, investigators found surreptitious videos of at least 22 different people using urinals and bathroom stalls at Lake Superior College.
The complaint alleges the videos were recorded by holding a cellphone “above or beneath a bathroom stall, between the cracks of a bathroom stall, or above the partition separating urinals.”
Several videos allegedly captured victims’ intimate parts.
The complaint states that bathroom stalls and urinals “are both locations where a person reasonably expects privacy and is likely to expose his or her intimate parts.”
The felony charge alleges Minor-Smith secretly recorded a student born in 2008 while “having reason to know” the victim was under 18.
According to the complaint, on or about March 17, Minor-Smith “did surreptitiously use a device for photographing or recording events through the aperture of a bathroom stall” with the intent to intrude upon the victim’s privacy.
The remaining 18 counts are gross misdemeanors alleging similar conduct involving other victims.
Minor-Smith is not in custody. There is no booking photo of him because he was charged via summons. He is scheduled to appear in St. Louis County District Court on Aug. 10.
If convicted, the felony count carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Each gross misdemeanor count carries a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine.
The college said it notified all students directly involved in the investigation, as well as the parents of students who were minors. It also said the incident has not prompted any changes to its safety, security or privacy policies, adding that those policies are reviewed regularly.
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.
