Photos: Napa Police Department
A Napa man has been arrested on suspicion of recording unsuspecting restaurant patrons in the bathroom with a hidden camera, among other charges, according to local police.
Police say that, on March 30, a customer from the Wendy’s on Trancas Street brought in a camera that they’d found hidden in the restaurant’s bathroom. The SD card inside the camera reportedly contained videos of numerous customers, including minor children, and employees using the bathroom.
Detectives quickly identified Sauceda Benites, who’d already been released on his own recognizance in a domestic battery case and was thus subject to search, as the primary suspect in having planted the camera.
The next day, March 31, detectives met Benites at his apartment where they then conducted a search, reportedly locating numerous glass meth smoking pipes and suspected methamphetamine. Two children, ages 12 and one, were also present at the apartment.
Napa County Child Protection Services responded to take custody of the children. Meanwhile, Benites was arrested and booked on suspicion of felony child endangerment, invading someone’s privacy with a video camera, possession of suspected methamphetamine and paraphernalia, and felony eavesdropping.
Detectives also visited the Wendy’s restaurant and found no other hidden cameras.
