Coeur d’Alene surgeon gets 40-year prison sentence for voyeurism

COEUR d’ALENE — An orthopedic surgeon who pleaded guilty to secretly recording women and girls in the bathroom of his medical office will spend decades in prison.

Spencer Greendyke, 69, pleaded guilty in January to 11 counts of video voyeurism, all felonies that carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison. 

First District Judge Ross Pittman sentenced Greendyke on Friday to 40 years in prison, with parole eligibility after 20 years. That means Greendyke will not be released from prison until he is at least 89 years old. 

“It is necessary because the devastation that you have brought onto these victims demands it,” Pittman said. 

More than 30 people filled the courtroom Friday morning, most of them victims and their families. 

The charges stem from last March, when one of Greendyke’s employees contacted Coeur d’Alene police about digital storage devices at Greendyke’s medical office, River’s Edge Orthotics. 

The devices contained video footage from a hidden camera in a staff bathroom, according to police, and showed adults and children in stages of undress. Investigators found more than 700 of these recordings, the oldest of which date back to the early 2000s. 

“This man encouraged us to bring our children to the office, making it seem like a family-friendly atmosphere,” said a woman who worked for Greendyke for about eight years. 

Though the charges involved 11 victims, Michelle Marhoefer, chief criminal investigator for the Kootenai County prosecutor’s office, said Greendyke victimized dozens more. These other victims could not be identified or the recordings Greendyke made of them fell outside the five-year statute of limitations for video voyeurism. 

Eight of the victims gave emotional testimony Friday, often speaking through tears as they told the court how Greendyke’s actions have traumatized them and left them unable to trust others or feel safe. 

“I can’t describe how petrified I was, how humiliated,” one woman told the court. “My body is no longer just mine.” 

The women described panic attacks and insomnia. Some expressed doubt that they’ll recover fully. 

“I used to be an outgoing person who smiled a lot,” another woman said. “I’m no longer that person.” 

After Greendyke’s arrest, his medical office abruptly shut down. Several women described the hardship they faced upon losing their jobs and insurance coverage. They struggled to find new employment, fearful of working in a medical setting or being in public at all. 

A woman who worked for Greendyke for 17 years said her family became close to his, but he betrayed their trust, victimizing them dozens of times. He secretly recorded the girls who grew up calling him “Uncle Spence.” 

“You broke me,” the woman said to Greendyke. “You broke my children. You broke my family.” 

One of the victims said she’d known Greendyke since she was a toddler. His actions affected her sense of self. 

“I’ll never be able to forget that someone I loved and trusted used me the way he did,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look at myself the same way.” 

Prosecuting attorney Art Verharen said Greendyke abused his authority as an employer and as a doctor in order to victimize women and girls in his office. 

“He was in a position of authority over them,” Verharen said. “He provided a job to them. But he took so much more.” 

Greendyke’s attorney, Luke Crawford, acknowledged the “gut-wrenching” testimony of the victims. 

“Dr. Greendyke’s actions here are deplorable,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that.” 

Legal counsel for Greendyke recommended a 15-year sentence and asked the court to consider retaining jurisdiction over Greendyke, placing him in a prison treatment program for up to a year before deciding whether to release him on probation or have him serve the rest of the sentence. 

Pittman said retained jurisdiction was not appropriate in this case. He added that he hopes the sentence acts as a deterrence to others. 

“The victims in this case suggest your conduct was a targeted attempt to bring women and their daughters into your dominion for the purpose of filming,” Pittman told Greendyke after handing down the sentence. “When this court reviews the quantum of the evidence, I think there’s justification (to believe) that this is what you have done over many years.” 

Pittman said Greendyke’s position as a trusted person — a friend, an employer, a doctor — made his actions more egregious. 

“Everybody, including the women who are victims of your conduct, have the right to put their trust in medical professionals,” Pittman said. “They and the public trust medical professionals with their bodies. When you betrayed that trust by taking a prurient interest in the very bodies that you have sworn to protect, you violate people in ways that cannot be put into words.”