What to Know
- Justin Rutherford, 32, of Douglassville, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with rape, sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, possession of child pornography, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, criminal use of communication facility and invasion of privacy.
- Rutherford is accused of sexually abusing at least two underage boys and secretly recording children as they used the toilet and showered inside the bathroom of his home.
- The investigation began over the summer when a 13-year-old boy discovered a secret recording device inside the second floor bathroom of Rutherford's house, according to police.
A former Berks County doctor is accused of sexually assaulting at least two boys and secretly recording children as they showered inside the bathroom of his home.
Justin Rutherford, 32, of Douglassville, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with rape, sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, possession of child pornography, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, criminal use of communication facility and invasion of privacy.
The investigation began over the summer when a 13-year-old boy and his mother told Amity Township Police he had been secretly recorded while taking a shower at Rutherford’s house.
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The boy said he was inside the home on Pleasant View Drive in Amity Township, Pennsylvania, on July 17 when he noticed a “black cube” with a faint blue light plugged into a wall outlet in the bathroom on the second floor.
The boy called his mother and sent her pictures of the device. He also showed it to another friend inside the home. The boy’s mother told her son to take the device, believing it was a video camera after doing research online.
After the boy and his mother spoke with police, caseworkers with Berks County Children and Youth Services interviewed Rutherford and his wife. They both denied knowing about a camera installed inside their bathroom, investigators said.
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On July 27, detectives obtained a search warrant and examined the “black cube,” discovering that it contained a camera and Secure Digital card.
Investigators said they then found 2,822 videos and 1,400 pictures on the device, dating back to 2018. Police said there were several videos of unsuspecting guests and family members in various states of undress using the second floor bathroom, including six children and two adults who were either on the toilet or showering.
Investigators said the camera appeared to be motion activated with no recorded sound and had the capability of being viewed live through an application and potentially downloaded to a cell phone.
On August 10, detectives executed a search warrant at Rutherford’s Amity Township home where they seized several electronic devices, including a similar “black cube” device inside a nightstand close to where he sleeps, according to investigators.
During the investigation, detectives spoke with two underage boys who accused Rutherford of sexually abusing and assaulting them.
On August 31, one of the boys told investigators he was inside Rutherford’s home back in May 2021. Rutherford allegedly provided the boy alcohol and marijuana, causing him to become intoxicated and fall asleep. Police said Rutherford then sexually assaulted the child.
On September 1, a 16-year-old boy told investigators Rutherford began sexually abusing him when he was 11-years-old and that the abuse continued until July 2021.
On Friday, charges were filed against Rutherford. Rutherford was then arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia early Saturday afternoon.
Rutherford was released to the local Sheriff’s Department and is currently incarcerated in the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center in Leesburg, Virginia, pending extradition back to Berks County.
Police continue to investigate and are trying to identify additional unsuspecting victims who were secretly recorded inside Rutherford’s bathroom, officials said.
Rutherford was a doctor with Tower Health in Reading, Pennsylvania.
“We are aware of the charges filed by the District Attorney involving Justin Rutherford,” a spokesperson for Tower Health told NBC10. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities on this matter and are not able to comment on an ongoing investigation. Justin Rutherford’s employment by Tower Health and his membership on the Tower Health medical staff has been terminated.”
The Berks County District Attorney’s Office also determined that all of the alleged incidents occurred inside Rutherford’s home.
“During our investigation to date, we have determined that all of the incidents occurred in his private residence and were not connected to his position as a physician,” a Berks County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson wrote. “However, it remains an ongoing investigation.”
