University of Texas Rio Grande Valley police arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly using a cell phone to record another man sitting in a restroom stall on Tuesday, June 4, according to a court document obtained by The Monitor.
Alejandro Salazar Navarro Jr., of McAllen, allegedly aimed his phone through a crack in the stall door and then over the wall, the report states. Navarro was charged with one count of invasive visual recording.
UTRGV police reviewed surveillance footage from the Edinburg campus engineering building and found that Navarro walked into the first-floor restroom, exited immediately and headed to the second floor. He then walked back downstairs and into the first-floor restroom after the accuser, the document states.
Minutes later, the accuser is seen exiting the restroom to report the incident. Navarro is seconds behind and exits the building, according to police.
No one else enters the restroom during the incident, the document states.
Police tracked Navarro to a white vehicle using surveillance footage, and with the help of the university’s Parking and Transportation Services, they obtained a license plate for the vehicle. After contacting the registered owner, she informed police she sold the vehicle, according to authorities.
Campus authorities tracked down the vehicle on June 11 and brought Navarro to the UTRGV Police Department. He waived his Miranda Rights and spoke to investigators, though he denied being on campus on the date of the incident, documents state.
Navarro identified himself as the man in a still image from the security footage, and police noted his description of the incident differed from surveillance video and the accuser’s account.
Navarro was arrested on June 12 and released on a $30,000 bond, according to jail records.
The accuser’s parents met with police and were willing to file criminal charges against Navarro. The accuser submitted a video statement of his account. The accuser’s name and age were not provided in the report.
Invasive visual recording is a state felony and Navarro faces up to two years in jail or up to $10,000 in fines, if convicted.
Navarro is not a student or employee at UTRGV, according to the university.
