A Texas barbershop owner has been arrested after allegedly hiding a mobile phone in a toilet area to record people using the premises’ restroom, including a female employee, according to a police affidavit.
Jose Luis Alvarez Williams, 37, turned himself in to Denton police on 10 September and was charged with invasive visual recording. The allegation relates to Pepe Le Barbershop on South Elm Street in Denton, north of Dallas. ([denton.city](https://denton.city/article/denton-news-article-64d74d49-900a-48ab-ab03-faf447ecef4f?utm_source=openai))
Denton barbershop owner accused of secret recording
The case began on 3 August when an employee, working her first shift at the shop, reported finding a box of latex gloves inside a cabinet in the unisex restroom. A rectangular opening had been cut into the box, with a phone positioned so its camera faced the toilet area.
The woman told investigators that the phone appeared to be the business’s handset and was in a distinctive case matching one she had seen Alvarez Williams using. She photographed the device and later left her job, according to an account of the police report published by the Denton Record-Chronicle. ([denton.city](https://denton.city/article/denton-news-article-64d74d49-900a-48ab-ab03-faf447ecef4f?utm_source=openai))
Police obtained a search warrant and recovered the phone from the business on 11 August. Investigators allege Alvarez Williams had used his own handset to FaceTime the phone hidden in the restroom, allowing him to watch the live feed and record the screen.
During questioning, he initially denied involvement, the affidavit states. He later admitted recording in the bathroom once or twice, saying he had deleted the footage, before acknowledging that he had recorded people there on multiple occasions.
The affidavit says he told police the phone had been placed in the restroom about 10 times during the preceding year. Police also allege that the employee who discovered the device was among those recorded.
Investigation remains open
A Denton magistrate found probable cause for an arrest warrant. Alvarez Williams was released on bail later on the day he surrendered, according to local reports. ([denton.city](https://denton.city/article/denton-news-article-64d74d49-900a-48ab-ab03-faf447ecef4f?utm_source=openai))
Denton police have said there is currently no evidence of additional victims, although the investigation remains open. The allegations have not been tested in court, and Alvarez Williams has not been convicted of an offence. ([nbcdfw.com](https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/denton-barbershop-owner-accused-of-secret-recording-previously-served-as-pastor/4078325/?utm_source=openai))
