Pend Oreille firefighter arrested in connection with attempting to photograph showering co-worker

A Pend Oreille County Fire District 2 firefighter has been arrested on suspicion of trying to take pictures of one of his co-workers while she was showering.

According to court documents, Martin Shier was arrested for attempted voyeurism after Fire Chief Christopher Haynes reported a woman barricading herself in the bathroom after seeing a phone camera pointed in her direction after she finished showering.

Shier pleaded not guilty to the charge on Wednesday morning and was released after posting bond. There is a no -contact order that will prevent Shier from interacting with the woman. Shier was fired.

When deputies arrived at Fire Station 41 on 11 Dalkena St. in Newport, the woman was still in the bathroom, visibly shaken, according to reports.

She immediately asked if Shier was still in the station. The two work together as firefighters.

When deputies confronted Shier about the photos, he said he hadn't taken any photos and said he had been checking to see if the heater mounted on the wall near the bathroom was working. The thermostat is on the opposite side of the room, according to court documents.

After searching through Shier's phone, deputies discovered a deleted video taken in May that was taken from the floor and showed the shower.

"Based on the video I saw, and what (she) described, I believed this was not the first time Shier had done this," Deputy Daniel Burkey wrote in the affidavit of probable cause.

The woman said that she had been drying off in the shower room when she noticed a black -and -red phone between the door and the floor, taking pictures or a video of her. When she saw it, she said the phone was pulled away.

When asked if he could explain the video Burkey found of the bathroom floor on his phone, Shier said he could not. He said he thought about taking pictures of the woman in the shower, but didn't. Shier said he did put his phone between the door and the floor of the bathroom, and then changed his mind. He said he wasn't even looking at the camera when he did it.

Shier admitted that he'd only done that one other time - in the video Burkey saw.

"That's why I had nothing to hide, I didn't do anything. I did think about it but didn't do it," Shier said to Burkey, according to reports.

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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 7:13 PM.