Man arrested for filming women in Florida church restroom held on immigration detainer

A man is being held on an immigration detainer and $250,000 bail in Florida after being arrested earlier this week for allegedly filming women from the ceiling of a church restroom.

Aquilino Sanjur Ortega was taken into custody Sunday after police responded to a report of a possibly armed individual at Grace Church FWB in Fort Walton Beach, according to a press release from the Fort Walton Beach Police Department.

Parishioners of the Free Will Baptist congregation in Florida’s Panhandle were reportedly evacuated from the building during the service when officers arrived. Witnesses told police Ortega was hiding in the ceiling above the women’s restroom.

When officers entered the church, they located Ortega in the ceiling and took him into custody without incident. Police later confirmed he was unarmed.

A woman told police she immediately alerted church officials after discovering a cellphone camera pointed at her from an opening in the restroom ceiling.

Ortega was arrested and charged with video voyeurism and disturbing a religious assembly.

Under Florida law, video voyeurism involves secretly recording individuals in places where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy and is generally a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison if the offender is older than 19.

Willfully interrupting or disturbing an assembly of people meeting to worship God is also a crime in Florida and is generally a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Ortega’s bond was set at $200,000 for the voyeurism charge and $50,000 for disturbing a religious assembly. Authorities said Ortega is also being held on an immigration detainer, a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asking local law enforcement to maintain custody of an individual for potential immigration enforcement proceedings.

The Christian Post has reached out to Grace Church FWB for comment and will update this article if a response is received.

“Our priority is always the safety of our community. I’m grateful for the quick actions of church staff and the calm, coordinated response of our officers that led to a safe resolution,” Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Robert Bage said in a statement.

The Fort Walton Beach Police Department encouraged community members and organizations to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity promptly. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact authorities.