Airbnb host accused of hiding camera in room he rented to woman
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cesar Adam Mendez Fuentes, 35, was accused of hiding a camera in a room he rented to a woman through Airbnb. (Greenville Police Department)
A South Carolina man was arrested Saturday after a woman discovered a camera hidden in the room he rented to her through Airbnb.
Cesar Adam Mendez Fuentes, 35, of Greenville, was charged with voyeurism after the unidentified woman, 26, told police she discovered the camera in an alarm clock, FOX Carolina reported.
The woman told police she found it suspicious that the alarm clock appeared in her room a few days into her lodging.
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Greenville Police Sgt. Johnathan Bragg told FOX Carolina the woman tried to use the clock but discovered that it did not work.
"She began manipulating the alarm clock and realized there wasn't an on or off switch," Bragg said. "So she realized it was probably a camera and she left the apartment."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The woman, a traveling nurse from Calhoun, Ga., went to Mendez Fuentes’ Airbnb profile and wrote a warning to other nurses and travelers who were considering renting from the suspect.
Bragg said the camera in the room was an invasion of privacy.
"The camera in your own space and in your own home is fine," Bragg said. "But when you have an Airbnb and you're renting it out for purposes of spying on someone or looking at someone in an intimate space such as a bedroom dresser, that's where it crosses the line of voyeurism."
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Airbnb released a statement regarding the incident and confirmed Mendez Fuentes was “permanently banned” from the site.
"Airbnb takes privacy extremely seriously and there is absolutely no place in our community for this kind of illegal and outrageous behavior. The individual involved has been permanently banned from our community and our guest has received our full support. We have reached out to law enforcement to offer our assistance with their investigation," the company said. "We hope justice will be served quickly. Cameras are never allowed in bathrooms or bedrooms and any other camera must be disclosed ahead of time."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The company told FOX Carolina that every Airbnb host was required to “disclose all surveillance devices in their residence.”
Mendez Fuentes was being held on a $5,000 bond at the Greenville County Detention Center.
This is not the first time guests have found cameras hidden in their Airbnb rental. In October, a couple found a hidden camera disguised as a smoke detector in their rental in Longboat Key, Fla.