Cheating spouses

Date: 12/05/2005
Source: ABC Toledo
Author: -

Forsaking all others 'til death do you part -- that line has been a part of marriage vows for centuries. But recent surveys show that 22 percent of men and 13 percent of women have cheated on their spouses.

What do you do if you suspect your spouse is cheating? Husbands and wives in Toledo are increasingly turning to private investigators to learn the truth. The itch to find out if their hunch is right has driven some suspicious spouses to shell out up to 60 grand to put a professional on the trail. You may be surprised just how far these private eyes will go to catch them. I-Team reporter Sarah Oehler tagged along with a local PI. On that outing, he said, "We have a husband today. The wife has no concrete proof but thinks he's having an affair, possibly more than one. He's been acting different towards her and I can tell you right now his vehicle is in the parking lot."

Mike Mullins gets paid to pry. The Toledo private eye will travel across town, or across the country, to follow people suspected of cheating in business or in love. Mullins has seen some strange things in his 30 years as a P.I. "I've caught wives seeing two boyfriends in one day, and they were both married." But he still gets a rush on every new case..

From night vision goggles to hidden cameras, P.I.'s have a whole bag full of tricks for getting some incriminating evidence for their clients.. Mullins says, "In the old days, back in the 70's, we'd literally kick the motel door open, take a picture and run. We don't do that anymore because you get arrested. If they go to motels, you try to figure out what room they're in and try to get a room close to them, usually across the hall, so we can see when they come out. We can follow them down the hall and videotape."

Shows like "Cheaters" have brought a lot of attention recently to what some P.I.'s do. Now, more people are hiring them to get evidence, and get revenge.

While Sarah is riding with Mullins, he gets a call from his client, and tells her her husband did not stay where he said he would be. Instead, the subject drives to a parking lot across town, makes a call, then goes to another parking lot to meet a woman. The two drive to a local motel, and go inside for about an hour, unaware that Mullins and the video camera are watching.

While he admits some of the evidence he finds can be hard to give to a client, this private eye's never thought twice about doing something else. Mullins says, "When you think about what I do, we're catching bad people in one way or another. And that's a good thing."

These investigators also do their own stunt work. Mullins says once they climbed up into some tall trees at a local park, to get a clear shot of a cheating spouse. And they're not risking it for nothing. P.I.'s charge anywhere from $50 to $75 an hour for their services.

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