Tybee police turn seized devices over to GBI and open an email for potential victims in bar bathroom-camera case

People who have visited North Beach Bar & Grill at any point since 2018 are now confronting an unsettling question: Could my family be in the files now under review by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation?

Tybee Island police arrested Larry Walter Chase, 48, on Sept. 22 and booked him into the Chatham County Detention Center on a charge of unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance. The arrest came five days after employees at the Meddin Drive restaurant called police upon finding one hidden camera concealed beneath a bathroom shelf; a second camera was later found on top of an air freshener in the other restroom.

North Beach Bar & Grill, at 33 Meddin Drive, is a spot local families and beach-season day-trippers know well, and investigators reviewing the recovered footage found it showed several ordinary people simply using the restroom facilities.

Following the arrest, Tybee detectives executed a search warrant at Chase's home. There they recovered additional electronic devices — computers, cellphones, a tablet and thumb drives — the first hard sign that whatever investigators are now looking at may stretch far beyond the two bathroom cameras discovered at the bar.

On Sept. 24, the lead investigator requested assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in examining the seized devices. Police said the GBI's computer-forensics tools and expertise are expected to help determine how long the cameras had been in place, establish a timeline, and identify potential additional victims. With that request, the center of gravity of the investigation shifted from a single recent incident to the contents of the recovered drives now under a GBI-assisted forensic review.

A timeline stretching back eight years

Preliminary information suggests Chase was affiliated with the restaurant as far back as 2018 — roughly eight years before his arrest. He is described as a former part-time prep cook who worked at North Beach Bar & Grill off-and-on since then.

That dating means the people who may appear in the recovered files could span years of beach-season patrons — not just a single recent incident but a succession of tourists, day-trippers, and local families who passed through in that time.

Tybee Island police received a large influx of phone calls and emails from people who believed they might have been unlawfully recorded during the incident.

In response, the police established a dedicated email address for potential victims: [email protected].

Anyone who believes they may have been recorded is asked to email that address with their contact information, the date or dates they visited, and a photo of the potential victims — themselves or their children — taken on the day they were there, so detectives can match clothing seen in the footage. People who have already contacted police during the investigation do not need to resubmit their information.

More charges possible

Tybee police said additional charges may follow as the investigation continues, and asked the public to remain patient while all involved agencies conduct a methodical and thorough review.

George Spriggs, owner of North Beach Bar & Grill, said the restaurant purchased hidden-camera detection devices after the discovery to help prevent future illegal surveillance of its guests.

"I am deeply disturbed by what has come to light," Spriggs said. "Our guests and our team trust us to give them a safe and respectful place, and what happened is a violation of that trust. To anyone who may have been affected: I am truly sorry, and know your privacy and well-being come first."

For a parent weighing whether their child is on those drives, the answer now rests with the GBI-assisted forensic review of the recovered devices — and the concrete step while they wait remains the victim email, with dates and photos.