Bryan dentist expected to resign from State Board of Dental Examiners for filming female employee

BRYAN -- Local dentist Bill Birdwell was expected to resign from the State Board of Medical Dental Examiners Friday following his arrest earlier in the week for allegedly filming in secret a female employee changing in the bathroom.

The 67-year-old former Bryan school board president, who's well-known for his philanthropic contributions to the community, was asked to resign by the chair for the 15-member state board, according to a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry.

Perry appointed Birdwell to serve a six-year term on the board in 2009. Though the spokeswoman was unable to confirm that Birdwell turned in his resignation, the dentist's name had been removed from the board website.

Birdwell was charged with improper visual recording, a state-jail felony punishable by up to two years in jail, on Wednesday after police showed up at his office on Osler Boulevard in Bryan shortly after a female employee reported finding a camcorder in the bathroom when she went in to change, according to a police report.

More at http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/bill-birdwell-expected-to-resign-from-state-board-after-arrest/article_f96b31d8-48f3-54ed-aaa4-e236988173b7.html .

A separate report from KBTX:

BRYAN, Texas - A longtime Bryan dentist and well known member of the community has been charged with felony improper photography, after telling police officers he taped a female employee changing in a bathroom.

Dr. William Reagan Birdwell, 67, was arrested Wednesday after an employee called Bryan police saying she'd found a camera in the employee changing room.

According to the arrest report, the female employee went in to change before going to the gym. Birdwell asked the employee if he could go into the bathroom before her, and the employee said yes. Moments later, Birdwell came back out.

The employee told officers the bathroom has cubby boxes for each of the employees. When she went back in, the employee started changing and removed her shirt. She noticed that Birdwell's box was pulled out and angled toward a large mirror in the bathroom. According to the report, she told officers that when she went to push the box back in to the cubby, she noticed the camcorder. The employee put her shirt back on and told a co-worker about the camera. She went back into the bathroom, took a picture of the camera with her cellphone and left the office.

More at http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Local-Dentist-Arrested-Admits-to-Taping-Employees-Changing-260284591.html .

[font color=green]Governor Perry appointed Birdwell to the State Board of Dental Examiners in 2009.[/font]