Police arrest man caught filming up woman's skirt
AVENTURA, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police have arrested a man accused of filming up a woman's skirt at a South Florida Mall.
According to Virginia Malpica, on June 4th, she noticed something was wrong when she stood at a cell phone kiosk at the Aventura Mall when 49-year-old Oscar Espinosa approached pulling a rolling suitcase. "He just placed it right next to me like this, and he was standing, waiting for the AT&T people to give him service, just like me. I kept looking at the suitcase because he just walked away," said Malpica.
Malpica thought the suspect's move was very strange and remembered seeing a news report about video voyeurism. "And I see a little opening next to the zipper, like this," Malpica showed, "and he had a camera with the lens on this side."
Police confiscated the suitcase and found the camera hidden in a side pouch covered in black card board and tape. "He saw my face when I was in shock, and I was like, 'What is that?' He came, grabbed the luggage by the handle and tried to leave," said Malpica.
Captain Skip Washa of the Aventura Police Department described what happened. "When he went to grab the camera, she grabbed his hand, yelled for help and security came, and we arrested the individual," he said.
Espinosa's attorney, Michael Mirer, released this statement: "He is innocent of these charges. We will stand by to the plea of not guilty. The truth will come out in court."
Malpica does not regret confronting the man. "I was not going to let him to go home with this video and do who knows what," she said.
Police said Espinosa did have a lot of access to retail centers. He was a regional manager for Bakers' shoe store line. Espinosa has since been fired.
He was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior and simple battery.
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