Macon nurse arrested after video of woman giving birth reportedly shared on Snapchat
A nurse at a Macon hospital was jailed Wednesday on a charge of eavesdropping for allegedly using her cellphone to record images of a woman in labor, a video of which was later said to have circulated on Snapchat.
The nurse, Rachel Elizabeth Fastow, of Macon, was released from the Bibb County jail Thursday evening after posting a $44,000 bond.
According to an arrest warrant, the charges were brought by police at the Medical Center, operated by Atrium Health Navicent, where Fastow, 26, has been a nurse since early 2021.
The warrant mentions that on May 16, a mother was “giving birth to her son” in a delivery room when the mother and the child’s father, who was also present, “noticed RN Rachel Fastow enter the room with the flash of her phone on in her scrub top chest pocket.”
The warrant further notes that another nurse in the room informed Fastow that the flash mechanism was on.
“Fastow pulled the phone out, stated the camera was on and turned off the light,” the warrant states, “and placed the phone back in her pocket.”
A fuller account of the alleged incident was not immediately available, but the warrant goes on to mention that early last month the mother was made aware “that a video of her in labor had circulated, via snapchat (sic), on the Labor and Delivery floor.”
It was not noted in the warrant why or how the video may have been shared on the popular messaging app or who may have done so.
Eavesdropping, statutorily known as surveillance which invades the privacy of another, is a felony punishable by one to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Fastow sent a statement to the Telegraph through her attorney, calling the allegations “baseless” and denying any wrongdoing.
“A thorough and complete administrative investigation was conducted by her employer, whereby she was previously exonerated of wrongdoing and rightfully allowed to return to her nursing duties well before her arrest,” the statement read, in part. “Despite this and months after the alleged event, a warrant was sought.”
In a statement to the Telegraph, Atrium Health Navicent officials said that privacy was “of the utmost importance to our organization” and that they are fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
This story was originally published September 22, 2022 at 3:47 PM.