Man relieved of jobs at church, school in wake of felony secret peeping charge

GREENVILLE, Pitt County — New information on the man charged with felony secret peeping has come to light.

According to court documents, investigators believe it was at a church where Thomas Ryan Elliott used a cell phone to take photos under an employee’s clothes in March of 2024.

Monday, Apr. 15, 2024, a video on social media appeared to show Elliott trying to sneak photos under a woman’s clothes at Target on Evans Street in Greenville.

Elliott was a volunteer at Eastern Elementary School and after the charge, the school released the following statement: “The individual will not be returning to our campuses as a volunteer or hired as an employee.”

He was also an employee at the Opendoor Church in Winterville where new charges accuse Elliott of using his phone again to sneak photos of a female employee without her consent.

According to Winterville Police, the incident happened Mar. 13 with the warrant for Elliott’s arrest coming just over a month later on Thursday, Apr. 19, 2024.

Leaders of the Opendoor Church responded to the information with a statement of their own saying “We are taking this situation extremely seriously. Thomas Elliott was immediately terminated upon notification of his arrest on Monday. Additionally, he is no longer permitted on our properties,”

Members of the Greenville PD said these have been the only felony secret peeping incidents over the past year.

The victim, as well as members of the Winterville PD, could not be reached for comment.