Judge denies back doctor’s request for return of evidence  

The Joint Chiropractic on McBean Parkway at the Promenade in Valencia. 051624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal
The Joint Chiropractic on McBean Parkway at the Promenade in Valencia. 051624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal
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A judge Thursday denied a Valencia chiropractor’s request for the return of his camera equipment that was seized by the Sheriff’s Department during a June raid of his home. 

Nicholas Vanderhyde, 41, was arrested after an employee found a camera that appeared to be hidden in a unisex bathroom at The Joint Chiropractic on McBean Parkway. A Sheriff’s Department official said the employee immediately contacted the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, which investigated the incident. 

In a search warrant affidavit seeking more evidence, a detective’s sworn statement indicated he thought Vanderhyde was the suspect, because the man he saw positioning the camera at the toilet in the bathroom looked like Vanderhyde based on the business’ website. 

The detective’s search warrant was granted on those grounds, but Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Greenberg ultimately declined the case filed by Detective Stephen Westerfield, stating in the charge-evaluation worksheet that the footage was a bit too grainy to be definitive. 

Westerfield said in December he presented additional information intended to further identify Vanderhyde to the DA’s office, which declined to comment on the status of the case.  

Vanderhyde’s attorney, Jeffrey Armendariz, wrote in his motion that the DA’s office notified him in November that no case was forthcoming, which was why his client wanted the laptops, cellphone and other digital devices returned.  

The state’s Penal Code for Section 311.11, which is the production of obscene material involving a minor, states that charges can be brought forth up to 10 years from the date of the material’s production. 

Vanderhyde also is facing several civil lawsuits in connection with the allegations, which remain outstanding. 

There also was action in court this week involving a pair of civil lawsuits related to the camera’s discovery. 

The first lawsuit against The Joint stemming from the incident, filed by Tracy Pedevilla, who initially found the camera, was continued to the end of April on Tuesday. So was a separate lawsuit from Hannah Davidson, who also reported in her lawsuit that she found the camera, in addition to other workplace claims against Vanderhyde.  

A third class-action lawsuit on behalf of the patients who claim to have been filmed by the hidden camera also is pending. 

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