Jefferson Co. park worker arrested on suspicion of voyeurism

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. - A 52-year-old Jefferson County parks employee was arrested Friday after a 13-year-old girl spotted someone videotaping her as she used a rest room at Old Fort Townsend State Park, officials said.

The chain of events began last week, when the girl was at the park with a church group. She went to use the park's public rest room, and when she looked down she saw a hand holding a camera in a lower vent on the back wall of the toilet stall, said Capt. Ben V. Stamper of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

The girl then told an adult who went to the rest rooms and found a parks employee, later identified as Robert Gonzalo, 52, in a small maintenance room behind the stalls.

Gonzalo was interviewed by detectives at the scene, and he denied taking photographs or videos of anyone. Gonzalo told the detectives he had been conducting routine maintenance in the pump room behind the stalls. However, detectives observed the wall vent was missing several slats, which could allow someone to shoot photos or video of people in the bathroom stall.

Detectives then served a search warrant Friday for Gonzalo's van, where he lived. Several items were seized, including cameras, flash media devices and a computer.

After the items were confiscated, Gonzalo voluntarily came to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and met with detectives. He admitted he took videos through the vent of the bathroom with a camera and that images were on the electronic devices seized from his van, Stamper said.

Gonzalo was arrested and booked into the Jefferson County Jail for investigation of voyeurism. He will be arraigned next week.

As the sheriff's investigation continues, detectives will attempt to identify and contact other potential victims.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact Jefferson County Sheriff's detective Ryan Menday at 360-385-3831, Reference Case 12-5397.