Man used cellphone, mirror to record women in dressing rooms at mall, police say
KENNESAW, Ga. January3 2019– Police say an accused peeping Tom had a mirror in one hand and a phone in the other to record unsuspecting women in dressing rooms at a clothing store.
Some parents told Channel 2’s Matt Johnson that the incident highlights the dangers involved in something most people take for granted.
It happened inside a popular apparel store at the Town Center Mall in Kennesaw.
A parent and an employee at Forever 21 told police they found a man recording women as they changed clothes in a store dressing room.
The arrest came as a shock to parents who Johnson found outside of the mall.
“That’s horrible. It’s hard to believe somebody would do that,” parent Rhonda Corley said.
“Having 16-year-old daughters, their privacy is a huge concern,” said parent Parry Crawford.
Police said Juan Carlos Hernandez admitted to using a “reflective mirror and a Samsung cellular phone” to record women last Thursday.
A parent first spotted a man filming her daughter and then she told an employee, who helped kick Hernandez out of the store.
“I’m very thankful for the employee who caught the guy,” Corley said.
The employee called police, who said they secured the mirror, the phone and a confession.
“Without something like that happening, that could go … I don’t know how long it went on, but that could go on for a while I’m sure,” Crawford said.
Johnson found jail records that show Hernandez has remained in the Cobb County Jail since last week, charged with felony peeping Tom.
Some parents we spoke to say the arrest will lead to important conversations.
“I’ll probably sit my daughter down and tell her about it, ask her what she’s aware of when she goes into a fitting room,” Crawford said.
Hernandez also faces an additional felony charge for being in possession of tools used in a crime.
Federal authorities are now looking into his immigration status.
WSBTV