Expert discusses how travelers can find hidden cameras
Michael Balboni, former Homeland Security advisor for New York state and cyber security expert, said hidden cameras can be found anywhere, like smoke detectors or stuff animals.
Police in California say a man secretly recorded more than 90 people, some as young as 4-years-old, with a hidden camera in a Starbucks bathroom. It sparked an investigation that led detectives to a stash of micro cameras and an arsenal of guns, according to police.
The San José Police Department said officers responded to a Starbucks on the 600 block of Coleman Avenue around 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2024, for reports of a hidden camera inside the shop’s bathroom.
When officers arrived, they found a camera hidden under the sink and facing the toilet.
The discovery led detectives with the San José Police Department Sexual Assault Investigations Unit (SAIU) to launch an investigation into the matter.
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Louie Juarez booking photo (San José Police Department)
Detectives found that the victims captured on camera using the restroom ranged between the ages of 4 and 85.
Police said the videos are extremely graphic and contain several fully exposed juveniles.
All the footage captured was from the day before police responded, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The San José Police Department executed a search warrant at Loui Juarez's home and allegedly found micro cameras and an arsenal of guns. (San José Police Department)
The investigation led to detectives identifying Louie Juarez as the suspect, and an arrest warrant was obtained, along with a search warrant.
The department’s special operations team located and apprehended Juarez in San Jose.
When detectives executed a search warrant at Juarez’s home, they located an arsenal of about 20 firearms, an assault rifle, an unregistered firearm, high-capacity magazines and other micro cameras.
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The San José Police Department searched Louie Juarez's residence after he allegedly placed a hidden camera inside a Starbucks bathroom in January 2024. (San José Police Department)
"This is a deeply disturbing incident, and we are grateful for the quick and thorough response from the San Jose Police Department in apprehending the suspect," a Starbucks spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We cannot overstate the importance of providing a safe environment for our customers and partners (employees). We will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement on this matter."
Juarez was charged with possession of child pornography, installation of a hidden surveillance camera with audio, possession of high-capacity magazines, possession of an assault rifle and possession of an unregistered firearm. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail.
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Police encourage anyone who believes they may have been captured on camera to reach out to Detective Lippert of the San Jose Police Sexual Assault Investigations Unit at 408-277-4102 or 4583@sanjoseca.gov.
