NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Authorities in North Charleston have apprehended a man accused of covertly recording individuals at a local Walmart.
The North Charleston Police Department reported that a woman alerted an off-duty officer, who was providing security at the Walmart on Rivers Avenue, about a man allegedly filming her from behind while she shopped. Another shopper also reported being captured on video without her permission.
When officers approached the man, he claimed he was merely browsing and that accusations against him stemmed from his appearance. He added he had faced similar allegations at a nearby Dollar Tree, according to the police.
After agreeing to let officers examine his cellphone, they discovered several videos allegedly depicting the suspect recording various customers throughout the store, including the woman who reported him and her child, as noted by NCPD.
The suspect’s phone was seized as evidence, and he was served with a trespass notice, preventing him from returning to the store. The complainant had left the scene before officers could collect her details for their official report, as stated by NCPD.
After a forensic examination of the phone after a search warrant was issued, NCPD’s Special Operations Intelligence Unit investigators found approximately 56 videos showing child sexual abuse material.
Officers obtained arrest warrants for the suspect on Thursday and took him into custody at the Target store where he worked, NCPD says.
Salvador Aguirre Hernandez, 22, of North Charleston, was charged with second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center.
This is an ongoing investigation.