Son of Buc-ee's co-founder indicted after secretly recording people in bathrooms of Texas homes, officials say
The 28-year-old son of Buc-ee's co-founder Don Wasek was indicted by a grand jury in Texas on 21 felony counts relating to him allegedly recording people in bathrooms "using the toilet, showering, changing clothes, and/or having sex."
Mitchell Wasek was charged with the invasive visual recording of 13 separate individuals over two years, Travis County District Attorney José Garza announced on Wednesday.
The camera used to commit the alleged crimes contained a memory card that showed videos taken in several properties owned by the Wasek family, including a house on Lake Travis and an Austin, Texas apartment, according to Mitchell Wasek's arrest affidavit.
“The Travis County District Attorney’s Office takes the work of presenting all facts and evidence to a grand jury veryseriously,” Garza said in a news release. “In this case, a group of independent Travis County community members heard the evidence and law and decided that Mr. Wasek's conduct was unlawful.”
David Gonzalez, Wasek's attorney, told USA TODAY that his client's case involves "the legal right to install cameras in one's own home." The defense attorney continued to note how one of the "many thorny legal issues" at the center of the case is the question: "May a homeowner install a camera in his home without telling housekeepers or guests, or does the guest have a greater legal right than the homeowner?"
Mitchell Wasek arrested in 2023
Wasek was arrested in October 2023 on 28 counts of invasive visual recording and released on $10,000 bail per charge, thus equaling a total of $280,000, according to Travis County court records. This case is still ongoing.
The charges in 2023 stem from allegations made by a woman and her friends who reported being recorded through a charging port plugged into the bathroom wall in Don Wasek's lake house, according to court documents obtained by KXAN. Since 2019, Mitchell Wasek has purchased over a dozen video surveillance cameras and other technology on Amazon and shipped the times to his family's properties in Austin, Texas; Dallas, Texas; and Telluride, Colorado, the TV station reported, citing court records.
It is unclear how much time Wasek will serve if convicted in both cases, but under Texas law, invasive visual recording is a state jail felony that can result in a maximum of two years in jail per count.
Who founded Buc-ee's?
The Buc-ee's convenience store chain was founded by Don Wasek and Arch Aplin III in 1982.
Since its inception, Buc-ee's has expanded across the country and is even preparing to open its biggest location ever in Texas. The store in Luling, Texas will be over 75,000 feet.
Buc-ee's has been heralded for its clean bathrooms, cheaply priced gas and variety of specialty foods, particularly the chain's barbeque brisket sandwiches.
"It's impossible to go to a Buc-ee's and use the phrase 'ho-hum' because there's always so much going on," Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives at the National Association of Convenience Stores, said. "It's more of a theater experience."
Contributing: Serena Lin/ Austin American-Statesman, Saman Shafiq/ USA TODAY, James Powel/ USA TODAY, George Petras/ USA TODAY and Jennifer Borresen/ USA TODAY