OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Ocala Police Department (OPD) says a man was pretending to shop at Walmart but was doing something far more sinister… secretly recording video of children’s private areas.
Disturbing Details
On August 9, the Friday before school started, many families were in the Walmart on 19th Avenue Road shopping with their children for new clothes and school supplies.
That’s when police say 32-year-old Joshua Gaines used a hidden camera to record video of kids. Investigators say he spent most of his time in the store’s back-to-school section, where there were a number of young girls and targeted ones wearing tight clothing.
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Police say Gaines was arrested last August, accused of the same crime and was banned from Walmart.
OPD says a Walmart security employee recognized him and his suspicious behavior and called police.
What investigators found
Police say officers found Gaines had a GoPro camera hidden in a small black bag and two cellular devices.
Investigators say they obtained search warrants for the devices and found multiple media files consistent with a clear pattern of digital voyeurism.
They say a subsequent warrant revealed hundreds of images of child pornography, with children as young as 6-years-old.
Gaines now faces 10 charges of digital voyeurism and 403 charges of possession of child pornography.
352today checked Marion County records which show Gaines has been booked into the jail at least three other times in the last four years, including a charge of trespassing on school grounds.
