Florida mother finds hidden cameras possibly spying on daughter after ex-boyfriend moved out: Police

OCALA, Fla. - A suspected video voyeur has been arrested after a Florida woman says she found cameras hidden in her daughter’s bathroom and bedroom. 

On May 17, a concerned mother called the police because she found a small hidden camera in an electrical outlet in her young adult daughter's bathroom.

According to the Ocala Police Department, an officer who went to the home to investigate took the small camera from behind the bathroom electrical outlet.

The officer said the device was blinking, and the small lens could be seen from inside the electrical plug's bottom ground outlet. Police added that the outlet was directly facing the shower and toilet.

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Two days later, police were called to the home again because another camera had been found inside the residence. This time, police say the camera was disguised as a Wi-Fi repeater in the daughter's room.

The woman told police that the router was installed by her ex-boyfriend, 58-year-old John Butler, who lived with the mother and daughter for a time. 

John Butler mugshot courtesy Ocala Police Department.

The detective investigating the case established probable cause to arrest Butler for installing the hidden cameras in areas where privacy is to be expected.

Police found Butler at his workplace, Butler Insurance, and arrested him for video voyeurism.

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Initially, investigators said Butler agreed to speak with authorities, but he invoked his Fifth Amendment right when questioned if he had any videos or images of the young woman on his phone.
Butler was taken to the Marion County Jail on May 22.

In a post on social media, OPD stated that hidden cameras can be discreetly placed in everyday items like electrical outlets, routers, smoke detectors, and other household objects. 

Police encourage everyone to inspect their personal spaces, especially bathrooms and bedrooms, for suspicious devices and call the police immediately if anything is found.  

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