A former Redwood City restaurant employee allegedly hid his cellphone in a trash can to secretly record customers inside the restaurant's bathroom.
The Peninsula man arrested for being a "Peeping Tom" wasn't peeking through someone's window, police say. Instead, he's accused of letting his cellphone do the snooping for him.
A woman who claims to be a victim is speaking out, wondering if there are any more victims, especially children. She says it happened at the Milagros restaurant in Redwood City back in December. She doesn't want to reveal her name, so for the purposes of this report we'll call her "Natalie."
Natalie says, on her birthday, a trip to the restroom turned into a nightmare.
"It was a hole right here and the phone was positioned right here like this," she said, explaining how a trip to a unisex restroom became an experience she'll never forget.
"While I was in there I realized there was a hole in the trash can and I saw a lens," Natalie said. "I just put my hand in the trash can and I found that it was recording."
She says she stopped the recording and looked through the videos on the phone. She saw herself and images of other people using the restroom.
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Natalie says she immediately alerted the manager but she didn't get the response she had hoped for. "She kept saying there must be a mistake. I'm sure he must have dropped it."
Natalie also called police.
It was soon determined that the phone belonged to a longtime employee, Marcos Boch. He was arrested.
Milagros general manager Bridgette Gill told NBC Bay Area that Boch was fired on the spot and had no further comment.
Natalie's attorney, Chris Dolan, says the "Peeping Tom" charge the suspect is facing is a misdemeanor, but he is hoping the district attorney will make it a felony.
"If children were filmed, and he's in possession of child porn, that's a felony and could lead to being placed on a sexual offender's list," Dolan said, as he should be."
Boch is due in court Jan. 27. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.
Redwood City police declined to comment on the case. The district attorney's office also declined, saying they haven't reviewed it yet.
