A customer at a Houston store discovered she was secretly being recorded in the women’s bathroom when she tried to leave a note about a broken toilet for a store clerk, according to Texas police.
Pierre Holt, 32, who worked at the store, is accused of using a pen camera to secretly record customers in the women’s bathroom, as stated in a probable cause affidavit filed on Feb 10 in Harris County.
The customer’s discovery of Holt’s scheme was made on Jan 14, the police said.
She found out that the pen she tried to use for leaving the note was actually a recording device while inside the bathroom, which, according to the affidavit, contained more than 100 video files of customers being recorded without their knowledge.
Despite Holt becoming hostile when she attempted to leave with the device, the customer was able to flee the store with the camera in her possession, according to police.
Aside from footage of customers, the device also contained a video of Holt positioning the camera, the police said.
Officials in Houston are urging other potential victims who may have used the bathroom at the store located at 900 Prairie Street to contact law enforcement.
Holt, a resident of Houston, was arrested on Feb 10 and charged with invasive visual recording, according to court records.
McClatchy News reached out to Holt’s attorney on Feb 12 for comment, but no response was immediately received.
According to the affidavit, police also discovered two guns behind the convenience store counter. Holt, who had been convicted of aggravated robbery in 2011, is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.
As a result, he is also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as indicated by court records.
He is being held on a combined US$87,500 (RM417,025) bond. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
