- April 20, 2024
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An employee of the Firestone Complete Auto Care located in the Port Orange Pavilion was arrested on Tuesday, July 9, for secretly videotaping two female customers while they used the restroom.
Port Orange Police report that one of the victims located the recording device while she was in the restroom, and reported it to police. Detectives arrested Ryan Wilkins, 37, for two counts of video voyeurism and two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, according to a POPD press release.
The incidents occurred on June 30 and Firestone’s legal department has been cooperating with the investigation over the last week. This investigation is ongoing while detectives review the evidence to determine if there are any more victims.
The woman that located the recording device told police the Firestone employee, later identified as Wilkins, approached her as she was headed toward the restroom and questioned if she would be going in, according to the police report. After confirming she would, Wilkins said it was likely “a mess” and he needed to check prior to her going inside.
Wilkins proceeded to entered the women’s restroom for approximately 45 seconds, exit, then entered for a second time, according to the report.
“There are paper towels on the floor," said Wilkins after he exited, police report. "I hope that’s ok.”
The woman noticed the paper towels on the floor and appeared it had not been cleaned at all by Wilkins. As she used the restroom, the woman noticed what appeared to be a camera. She then stood up and removed the device, according to the report.
Wilkins approached the woman once she exited the bathroom and asked why she was upset. At that time, the woman asked for the store manager and Wilkins responded that he was the manager.
The woman denied Wilkins’ multiple requests to hand over the device and told him she would be bringing it to law enforcement instead.
Wilkins followed the woman outside and requested to take photographs to send to the other Firestone locations, according to the report. The woman told police he was shaking while taking the pictures with his cell phone.
During the investigation, police identified the second woman found on the device’s SD card and she had a similar story to tell. She explained an employee had stopped her prior to using the restroom to tell her it was out of toilet paper.
The employee grabbed a roll from behind the desk and went into the women’s restroom. When the employee exited, he told her it was now ok to enter, according to the report. The woman told police she went into the restroom and saw the toilet paper dispenser had plenty of toilet paper, more than just the roll the employee walked in with, and the bathroom appeared to be in poor condition.
While washing her hands, the woman noticed a device and assumed someone had mistakenly left it there while having their vehicle serviced, according to the report. She then showed police an online ad for a hidden camera that was identical to the camera turned over by the other victim.
Wilkins was taken to jail with a $10,000 bond.
This story was updated at 3:07 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, with new information about the incident.
