Dusty bathroom footprint leads to video voyeurism arrest

PINELLAS PARK (FOX 13) - One woman's smart intuition at a business plaza lead to a horrible discovery that's destroyed any sense of privacy. 

"We had a woman who had gone into one of the restrooms and noticed some dust on one of the toilet lids or seats there and also saw a footprint on it," said Sgt. Mike Lynch with the Pinellas Park Police Department. 

Lynch said the woman looked up, noticed a tile out of place, and called officers right away. 

"They ended up finding two separate recording devices in two different restrooms," said Lynch. 

Those cameras recorded anyone who used the women's bathrooms. Police viewed the footage and found John Gibbs placing the cameras under the ceiling. Gibbs works as the maintenance man at Smart Sixty-Six in Pinellas Park. 

"They were just slightly raised enough where the view of the camera was able to capture images of the individuals coming into the restrooms," continued Lynch. 

Police said it's been going on for at leas the last month and half. So far they've identified 14 women, but say there's still many more victims left to ID. 

More than 60 companies lease offices at the building, including includes Michael Ford's family. He said Gibbs has stolen people's sense of security. 

"The fact that it happened at all, especially since it effected so many people here, it's devastating that it happened," said Ford. 

He, like many, questions why. 

"He seemed like a decent fellow. He was very happy going. He worked hard for the businesses in here. It was really a shock that it was him out of everybody. I really thought it was a random person that snuck into here," offered Ford. 

At his first appearance Friday afternoon, Gibbs didn't volunteer any answers, but he did ask for a public defender. 

He remains in jail on a $90,000 bond. If he bonds out, he has to stay 500 feet away from Smart Sixty-Six and must wear an ankle monitoring device. 

Back at the office building, many were still trying to process and understand what's happened to them. 

"It certainly shakes your foundation when you believe that you're going into a private area to use the restroom and find out later on that you could be a victim," added Sgt. Lynch. 

It is believed that Gibbs had been recurring videos since February 2018. Anyone believing they are a victim is asked to contact the Pinellas Park Police Department at 727-369-7864