Holt, 32, is accused of using a pen camera to secretly record customers in the women’s bathroom of the Houston store where he worked, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Feb 10 in Harris County. — Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash
A customer tried to leave a note for a store clerk about a broken toilet only to discover she was secretly being recorded, Texas police say.
Pierre Holt, 32, is accused of using a pen camera to secretly record customers in the women’s bathroom of the Houston store where he worked, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Feb 10 in Harris County.
Holt’s scheme was discovered by a customer Jan 14, police said.
When the woman had trouble flushing the toilet, she tried to leave a note using a pen and paper left inside the bathroom, the affidavit said.
She realised the pen was actually a recording device – one that police discovered contained more than 100 video files of customers being recorded without their knowledge, according to court records.
Holt became hostile when the customer tried to leave with the device, but she was able to run from the store with the camera in her possession, police said.
In addition to footage of customers, the device also contained a video of Holt positioning the camera, police said.
Houston officials encourage any other potential victims who may have used the bathroom in the store located at 900 Prairie Street, to contact law enforcement.
Holt, of Houston, was arrested Feb 10 and charged with invasive visual recording, according to court records.
McClatchy News reached out to Holt’s attorney Feb 12 for comment but did not immediately receive a a response.
Police also located two guns behind the convenience store counter, the affidavit said. Holt was convicted of aggravated robbery in 2011 and 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, court records show.
He is being held on a combined US$87,500 (RM417,025) bond. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
