Casita Taqueria owners Don and Gwen Arvin told Bay News 9 that a male employee has been fired and trespassed from all of their restaurants after St. Petersburg Police said, on Saturday, they found a hidden cellphone and camera recording video in the bathroom.
“He was like family to us,” the Arvins said in a statement. “We’re devastated by this and obviously had no knowledge. We contacted police immediately.”
An employee who was cleaning a restroom at the location at 2663 Central Ave. in St. Pete’s Grand Central District discovered the device on Saturday.
“When she grabbed [the cellphone], she realized it was recording live,” said police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez. “That’s when she started looking around for the camera and she found it.”
Fernandez also said detectives took the camera and cellphone into evidence, and that police haven’t been able to identify any video voyeurism victims or develop a suspect because detectives are waiting for a search warrant.
In the meantime, Fernandez said anyone who recently visited the Casita location, used the bathroom and believes they might be a victim should contact police.
“It’s a safe bet to say if you visited the restroom while you were at their restaurant in the last few days,” she said. “Maybe Thursday, Friday, Saturday and you feel like you might have been victimized then give us a call.”
Anyone with information about this case can call St. Pete Police at 727-893-7780.
This article appears in Aug 2-9, 2018.
