A former UT women’s track equipment manager faces 10 counts of improper photography or visual recording after UT police found footage of team members in stages of undress in his home.
UTPD arrested Rene Zamora late last week in his Uvalde County home and booked him into the county jail, where a judge later released him on a personal bond, said Claire Dawson-Brown, a Travis County assistant district attorney. Zamora has been a full-time employee since 2006.
On Sept. 3, Zamora unloaded equipment near the women’s locker room following their late return from a track meet. Zamora entered what he believed to be an empty locker room to get the team uniforms, court records show. Upon entering, he heard someone in the shower area and proceeded to leave the locker room, only to return with a digital camera.
Zamora placed the camera above the curtain rod and was about to record when the victim screamed. Zamora apologized, ran into the equipment room to check the footage but found none, according to arrest affidavits. The victim told police that Zamora sent her a text message four days later saying he deleted the footage of her showering.
The victim told her coach about the incident on Sept. 7, and UTPD began its investigation the next day. Police began its examination of Zamora’s computer and memory cards after acquiring a search warrant on Sept. 8, said Nick Voinis, the senior associate athletic director. Police found more footage of two former and seven other current track team members during their investigation.
“We believe the earliest video was in spring 2008, and the latest was in fall 2010,” Dawson-Brown said. “At this point, we have no indication that it went out beyond him that we can find.”
Zamora had a clear criminal background check prior to employment, said UT women’s athletics director Christine Plonsky in a statement. UT athletic officials verbally suspended Zamora immediately following the allegations, and the equipment manager formally resigned on Sept. 10 and can no longer work for the University.
The Travis County district attorney’s office is currently preparing the case for the grand jury to see if they will indict Zamora. If guilty, Zamora could receive 180 days to two years in state jail and up to a $10,000 fine for each count.
