AUBURNDALE, FLA.- — The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for peeping into a homeowner's bathroom window.
Security cameras captured the man on the side of a home in Auburndale. The suspect is also seen on video looking into a child's bedroom window.
Deputies arrested Santos Pantoja on several charges including burglary, possession of burglary tools, stalking and voyeurism.
"He was prowling around the victim's home before 7:00 a.m. in the morning. He was prowling around this home on two different occasions," said Sheriff Grady Judd with the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Sarah Martinez said she saw the man staring at her through her bathroom window last month.
"I was looking in my mirror, putting on my makeup and I saw the reflection of his face looking in," said Martinez.
She said she ran out of her house and saw the man's truck drive away.
"After the fact, it was more like what was I doing running outside like how stupid of me, you know, but originally it was like I got to catch him and see what's going on, said Martinez.
The incidents happened on May 24th and May 28th. She said the first incident was not caught on camera, but her neighbors installed cameras after the first incident. The sheriff's office said a neighbor also confronted the man. The suspect claimed he was looking for his missing daughter.
Martinez said she posted images from the security cameras on a community Facebook page. Strangers helped identify him.
"Don't feel safe just because it's the daylight, you know. He was here on Monday at 7:30 a.m. in the morning and on Friday, it was about 6:40 a.m. and that's a hot time. Everybody is out and about, lots of neighbors in the streets and cars driving by," said Martinez.
Sheriff Grady Judd said Pantoja works for a landscaping company and was in a work truck.
"They were very cooperative with us. They looked and said we don’t have any jobs in that neighborhood, but the GPS on the vehicle showed he was there at that time," said Sheriff Judd.
Martinez urges homeowners everywhere to stay alert.
"It's just in my head like what was his intent? What was the end game? That's really just the cycling thought. What was he trying to do?" she said.
"Keep you eyes open. Talk to your neighbors."
