Julio Cesar Garcia, 22-year-old Valley Center man has been arrested on suspicion of taking thousands of “upskirt” pictures and videos of women and girls in local stores without their permission. He was arrested Wednesday after investigators found 2,100 images of women and girls that Garcia allegedly took surreptitiously, many with his cellphone camera pointed up their skirts.
Garcia has been booked in the county jail on more than 20 misdemeanor counts, including secretly filming a person, annoying or molesting a child and loitering near a child, according to Lt. Craig Carter of the Escondido Police Department.
Carter said authorities have photos of about 100 different victims, though the count could exceed 100. Authorities have identified four victims who will aid in pressing charges.
The victims were between 15 and 30 years old, Carter said, with one in her 60s.
Garcia worked at a Rancho Bernardo tire store, where he allegedly took pictures of a 15-year-old girl, her school identification card and her car’s registration, which included her home address.
The family was immediately notified, and Carter said Garcia is no longer an employed at the store.
Garcia’s one count of loitering near a child resulted from his secretly filming girls at a school bus stop, Carter said.
Authorities became aware of the prolific alleged Peeping Tom when they discovered surveillance footage from a local store in July.
Upon identifying the victim, they retrieved his cellphone and found the images.
The investigation revealed that stores ranged from an ice cream parlor to a pet store to a mini mart, and even a women’s apparel store, Carter said.
Carter said the department is seeking help identifying more victims. Anyone with information may call (760) 743-8477.
