Lake Superior College instructor charged in bathroom recording case

A phone camera was found beneath a bathroom stall at Lake Superior College, and charges filed Wednesday accuse Maxwell O’Brien Minor-Smith, 38, of Duluth, of secretly recording people in campus bathrooms over about a month. He is scheduled to be back in court Aug. 10.

A student first alerted authorities on April 15, 2026, after spotting a phone camera beneath a stall. Investigators later tied the device to recordings of 16 victims, including one juvenile, and the total number of people affected rose to at least 22. Minor-Smith also admitted that he took photographs and videos for sexual gratification after he was caught holding his phone under a stall.

The case was charged as 19 counts of interfering with privacy, including one felony and 18 gross misdemeanors. Minnesota Statutes section 609.746 makes it a crime to secretly record someone in a bathroom or another place where a reasonable person expects privacy. A first offense is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

Lake Superior College said, “We investigated this matter and have cooperated with the Duluth Police Department,” and directed further questions to police. The school’s Policy 5.23 recognizes the need to balance individual privacy with its duty to promote a safe environment. The college runs programs to prevent sexual offenses, provides escorts, inspects campus for dangerous areas and sends annual crime-reporting information to students and employees.