OWASSO -- An area man said he was wrongfully accused of impersonating a loan inspector and taking pictures of a young girl in front of her Owasso home.
The man contacted 2 Works for You after our initial story on Tuesday, saying he was just doing his job.
Our story never identified the man in question, in fact, 2 Works for You didn't even know his name. Once we learned it, we did a thorough background investigation and found he is who he said he is.
It started when an Owasso mother said she saw a man she didn't know outside her house taking pictures while her daughter was in the yard.
She said she asked the man what he was doing, and he told her he was taking pictures of the house for loan company, Fannie Mae. The mother said she didn't believe him and felt he was taking pictures of her daughter. When she confronted him, she said he replied using some unkind words.
The mother filed a police report and Owasso Police tell 2 Works for You they interviewed the man. They found, as we did, that he doesn't work for Fannie Mae, but he is indeed a contractor for loan companies.
Police said official business documents prove he did have the right to be at the home as it is his job to take pictures of homes for loan companies.
2 Works for You reached out to the mortgage company, National Mortgage Field Services, who hired the man as a contractor, and the CEO verified the man's identity. The company said it performs background checks on all contractors. The man passed and is a certified inspector.
The company also said it is normal for inspectors to take pictures without homeowner's knowledge, however taking pictures with people in them is forbidden.
The company said no photos of a minor were taken at the home.
Owasso police said they do take situations like this very seriously and will investigate. In this case, police said they found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Below is a statement issued by Owasso Police:
On Monday April 16th, an incident was reported to the Owasso Police Department related to a man in a blue car allegedly taking pictures of a juvenile female in front of her residence in the Lake Valley neighborhood. This incident was widely reported on various social media sites, which elicited a large amount of concern from area residents. Although it is not necessarily a crime to take pictures in an open public area like a residential street/neighborhood, all allegations that could present a threat to the safety of a child are taken very seriously by the Owasso Police Department.
The incident was investigated and officers were able to identify the man reportedly taking the pictures. The man was completely cooperative with investigators when they spoke to him. Investigators were able to confirm that the he indeed works for a financial institution and he provided documentation verifying that he had been assigned to photograph the residence in question in the course of that employment.
After completing the investigation, no evidence was uncovered to show that this person had committed a crime or that his actions were a threat to area children in any way.
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