Man charged with filming minor UT student in restroom sentenced

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A man was arrested in 2022 after filming a University of Tennessee student using the restroom, an incident report obtained by WVLT News states. Now, he’s facing 11 months and 29 days, supervised by the Knox County Probation Office.

The incident happened at the Student Union, the report said. An officer arrived on scene and spoke to James Robert Biernik, 21, who was accused of taking the video of the student using the restroom. Biernik denied filming anyone, the report said, but the victim, a minor, reportedly had a video of their own showing Biernik pointing his camera at them while they used the restroom.

After speaking with the officer, Biernik allegedly admitted to filming the victim while he used the urinal.

“The reason Mr. Biernik stated he videotaped the victim was for ‘gratification’ at a later time,” the report said. Biernik also told the officer he had deleted the video of the victim because he “heard someone yelling” outside the restroom.

While the report does not confirm that Biernik is a UT student, the university’s directory does list a James Robert Biernik as a current student.

Biernik was arrested and charged with unlawful photographing and tampering with evidence.

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