Man caught secretly filming girl in park restroom, US cops say. Parents held him down

After his arrest, “a wireless camera was found hidden in the restroom,” prosecutors said. Child pornography was also found on his devices. — Unsplash

A man is accused of following a 12-year-old girl into a women’s restroom at a California park and recording her, prosecutors said.

After the girl saw Jacob Anthony Arriola, 33, recording her at a Fullerton park on July 23, she fled the bathroom and told her parents, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a July 27 news release.

The girl’s parents confronted Arriola and held him down until police arrived, prosecutors said.

After his arrest, “a wireless camera was found hidden in the restroom,” prosecutors said. Child pornography was also found on his devices.

“Pedophiles will stop at nothing to satiate their own indulgences – even brazenly recording a young girl at (a) public restroom during the day, only a short distance away from parents,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. “Thankfully, the girl immediately reported what had happened and adults intervened.”

Arriola, who has pleaded not guilty, has been charged with a number of counts, including possession of child pornography and using a minor in the sale or distribution of obscene matter or production of pornography.

If convicted on all counts, prosecutors said Arriola faces a maximum three-year prison sentence.

He is being held on US$20,000 (RM90,710) bail, prosecutors said.

Fullerton is about 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service