Former John Ball Zoo Employee sentenced for upskirting women, child

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. —

A former John Ball Zoo employee was sentenced to 180 days in the Kent County Jail, with credit for four days served and probation for three years, for taking recordings up guests’ skirts at the zoo, including a child. 

Steven Pook must also register as a sex offender. 

He pleaded guilty to using a computer to commit a crime and capturing/distributing images of an unclothed person relating to the case involving two women, and an amended count of capturing/distributing images of an unclothed person relating to the case involving the child. 

Pook’s attorney, Frank Stanley, told the court Pook wrote a lengthy letter that ‘spoke volumes’ about his client and his character. 

“My client will readily admit and acknowledge that he was wrestling with a demon in his life and was not handling it correctly, and it was controlling some of his judgment,” he said. 

He says Pook ‘never made any excuses’ to try to justify or explain away his conduct. 

“He knows it was wrong. He knows he seriously damaged his relationship with his wife. He’s been in counseling ever since this incident, to try to deal with this issue, get the help he needs,” he said. “More importantly, he also acknowledges that he’s harmed these women and this young lady, and that that was inappropriate and something he should have never done. I think he truly regrets his conduct.” 

Pook addressed the judge before sentencing. 

“The depth of my sorrow for what I did is beyond what I can describe, I do have a good support system in both my wife and my counseling, and I do plan to try and rebuild my credibility with the community and the lifelong volunteering that I’ve done, possibly get another part time job to fill some of that void time and whatever the court deems necessary,” he said. 

Before Judge Clay M. West went into sentencing, he told Pook that this type of conduct destroys lives. 

“The women, in one case a minor, who were the victims of your activity here are going to deal with this for the rest of their lives. And you really just can’t, really can’t underestimate the negative impact, how this harms those young lives,” the judge said. “So I think that’s something that you’re certainly gonna have to reflect on, as you’re working through your sentence and working through probation and the various terms that we impose today.” 

He said he ‘can’t say too often and too much and too strongly’ how this type of conduct is ‘horrendous’ and the impact on their lives will never end. 

There was a COBBs agreement to a six-month jail cap, inclusive of both cases, with the prosecution recommending the current sentencing. 

He was sentenced to 180 days (six months) on all counts, which will be served concurrently, with four days’ credit. He’ll spend that sentence in the county jail. 

He will also be on probation for three years and will have to register as a sex offender in compliance with the Sex Offenders Registration Act (SORA). 

Court documents say last June, GRPD officers responded to concerns of an employee, now identified as Pook, recording up women’s skirts. This was initially reported to zoo staff by a patron. 

Officers took statements from two women who were at the zoo for a work function. Another person in the group told officers he witnessed Pook approach the two women and stand right behind them. He watched Pook follow several women into the park. 

The witness told officers he stood next to Pook and saw a cell phone that was actively video recording in the dustpan Pook carried. He and another witness notified the HR manager of their employer. The witness took a photo of Pook to show zoo management. 

The two women told officers they were near the otter exhibit when Pook approached them. They saw him shortly before while at the snack stand, and he “quickly caught up to them” at the otter exhibit. 

The victims go on to say Pook held a broom and dustpan at their feet. One of the women described Pook as “extremely close to her, so much so she could feel his presence.” Neither of the women saw the camera nor felt the dustpan touch them, according to the docs. 

The documents say Pook denied the allegations, showed the officer the photo app on his phone, and provided his password. Officers did not locate photos of the women. 

Pook’s phone was taken as evidence pending a search warrant, with court documents saying he was terminated from the zoo and banned from the property. 

After obtaining a search warrant for the phone, eight videos were found between June 17 and June 21, 2024, which were varying in length and contained “his efforts of selecting, stalking, and recording up women’s skirts.” One of the videos was of Pook recording up both victims’ skirts and includes Pook recording himself while adjusting the camera angle. 

One of the videos was the girl’s backside and the undergarments of a female child. That video was taken on June 17 and was around a minute and a half in length. 

Officers said that the video appeared to be in the reptile exhibit and showed Pook in his uniform with his broom and dustpan. Adults and children can be heard talking. 

The court documents say Pook identifies the girl, who was approximately 10-12 years old, wearing a sundress and standing next to an adult woman, who appeared to be her guardian. 

Officers say Pook watches her in the video for around a minute before he walks up between the girl and the woman and asks the girl, “Can you find them all?” putting her in a position to place her hands on her knees and bend over. The documents say this position allowed “for a better view of her underwear and exposed [backside]” to record the child sexually abusive material for around 14 seconds, before stepping away and ending the recording.