Man accused of filming woman in Kingston Springs public restroom

KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Kingston Springs Police Department arrested a man who reportedly placed a cellphone under a restroom partition at a truck stop to record a woman using the facility.

The alleged incident happened on July 14. According to arrest affidavits, 21-year-old Eduardo Navarrette, an undocumented Mexican national, slid a cellphone under the partition in a stall occupied by a woman in her 20s.

That young woman told News 2 she was passing through Kingston Springs, having just left Nashville. She said she was using the restroom and never imagined her privacy would suddenly be invaded in such a blatant way.

“I was just shocked,” the victim said. “I wasn’t expecting that at all. I was like, ‘Did that really happen?'”

At that moment, a 38-year-old mother of three entered the restroom.

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“The gentleman was running out of the ladies’ restroom, and he almost knocked me down, so it took me by surprise,” she recalled.

The mother said she was initially confused, thinking perhaps she had walked into the men’s room. However, she quickly determined that she was in the ladies’ room.

That’s when the mother reportedly heard the young woman telling her boyfriend that someone had just videotaped her under the stall.

“The young lady beside me was really upset, saying that somebody beside her was filming her; they stuck a camera on the other side of the barrier and she was really freaked out,” the mother described.

The mother said she yelled to the woman that she just saw the guy. Then, they both left the restroom and entered the truck stop’s main area. That’s when the mother spotted Navarrette in a car at the gas pumps.

The 38-year-old confronted the 21-year-old, who was in the front seat of a car, while the young woman recorded the confrontation.

“That was you! This is him! He was filming her in the bathroom!” the mother yelled. “Yeah it was, I saw him! He’s filming her in the bathroom! That was you, dude! That was you! We’re calling the police! You’re going to jail!”

The video shows another man standing next to the driver’s side door of the car, but the mother continued talking about Navarrette, saying, “Oh yeah, dude. He was filming her in the bathroom. He’s a creep. He’s a pervert. That was him.”

“Were you scared at all when you went and confronted this man, not having a clue what could happen?” News 2’s Andy Cordan asked the good Samaritan.

“I probably should have been, looking back. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest choice. I probably should have been more fearful than I was,” she replied.

According to arrest documents, the suspect ran from the truck stop. However, the driver of the car stayed behind and told police that Navarrette was an acquaintance.

When authorities searched the car, they reportedly found Navarrette’s court document that he received earlier in the day for driving on a suspended license.

Police looked for the suspect for the next few weeks, to no avail.

Then, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, Kingston Springs officers were at the Dickson County Courthouse in Charlotte, hoping that Navarrette would come to deal with the suspended license violation. When the 21-year-old did arrive, police took him into custody and charged him with violation of privacy (unlawful photography).

“I feel great about that, and I hope they bury him under the jail,” the mother said. “I think everyone should feel safe, especially women, to go to the restroom in peace and not have a creep violate them in that way. I can’t imagine what that young lady felt like.”

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“It was really just like an invasion of privacy, and I think [the good Samaritan] was an amazing person. I hope that everyone would do that, but not in today’s society, I don’t think, but I think she is a hero,” the victim told News 2.

Navarrette is being held in the Cheatham County Jail under a $15,000 bond, officials said.

Police told News 2 they seized the suspect’s cell phone and will get a warrant to view its contents. The arresting officer is also looking into a possible petition for deportation paperwork for the Mexican national.

When asked what she would say to Navarrette, the good Samaritan replied, “I would pray for him and hope he finds peace in Jesus because where he is going, he is going to need it.”

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