Hidden Camera Found in Restroom of Local Restaurant

Edgar Leonel Moran Carrera

On Sunday, April 14, the Sallisaw Police Department was dispatched to Roma's Italian Restaurant in regard to a report of a hidden camera in the women's restroom.

According to Sallisaw Police Chief Terry Franklin the camera was discovered by a customer whom was dining at the restaurant with his wife. The man tried to use WiFi at the restaurant and logged into a WiFi account and when the site opened, the customer stated that he saw a camera pointed at a bathroom stall.

The husband then sent his wife into the women's restroom and he reported that he saw his wife on the live feed of the camera.

Upon receiving the report, officers contacted the management of Roma's Italian Restaurant who assisted the officers in locating a hidden wireless Bluetooth camera in the air vent above a stall in the women's restroom.

Officers seized the camera device and contacted detectives with the Sallisaw Police Dept.

On April 16, detectives interviewed an employee of the restaurant who had developed as a person of interest during the investigation. The employee, Edgar Leonel Moran Carrara, 32, of Sallisaw, confessed to placing the camera device in the restroom.

Moran Carrera stated that he had been an employee at the restaurant since it had opened, five to six years ago. 

During interviews with other employees of the restaurant, investigators obtained information that the previous owners had found another camera in the women's restaurant, approximately four years ago.

A police report was not made at that time by the previous owners.

A written consent to search the residence of Moran Carrera was obtained. Officers and detectives discovered a large amount of cellular devices, laptops, data storage devices and computer equipment at the home. Investigators then stopped the search and secured the scene for a search warrant. 

A search warrant was obtained for the residence and was served. Officers seized items of evidence, including another camera device, similar to the camera initially found in the restaurant. 

Moran Carrera was charged with uses a photographic, electronic or video equipment in a clandestine manner for an illegal, prurient, lewd or lascivious purposes to view upon a person or publishes or distributes any image obtained from such act.

"This case is still under investigation and investigators have contacted Federal agencies to assist with the investigation," stated Chief Franklin. "More charges are anticipated at the conclusion of the investigation."

KXMX News Staff

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