Caretaker arrested in video voyeurism case
A man officials say was the caretaker of a Fort Myers Beach vacation rental property that was linked to video voyeurism back in late March has been arrested.
Fort Myers resident Robert McDuffie Moore, 53, was located by the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force in Orange County and taken into custody without incident last Friday. He was apparently traveling out of county at the time of the arrest.
Moore, who was reported as the caretaker at 1910 Bayview Dr. after being the general contractor of the building, is expected to be transported to Lee County sometime Tuesday to face seven counts of second degree felony video voyeurism (juvenile victims), one count of third degree felony video voyeurism (adult victim) and one count of third degree felony child pornography.
On Friday, members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Warrants Unit were asked to locate and arrest Moore. That led to coordination with the federal agents.
Local law enforcement officials say they took the initial complaint, made by a visitor who found a hidden camera in the home, very seriously
“This is a betrayal of trust. People have an expectation of privacy when they come into a situation, in this case a temporary home, and they certainly do not expect to be videoed,” said Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott, adding the investigators did a thorough job.
“The evidence is pretty compelling,” he said. “It’s kind of appropriate now that the tables are turned on him. He will be in our house under our surveillance cameras.”
Upon his arrival, Moore will be been booked into the Lee County Jail. Scott said he was tracked to his daughter’s home in Orlando.
“This is a very unique set of circumstances, thank goodness,” Scott said. “As a tourist destination spot, Fort Myers Beach, being our little jewel, people don’t want to feel threatened or be fearful coming into the area.
“I think it will bring some sense of closure. The other option is we do not know who the guy is and, in essence, you’ve got this person out there sort of floating around and able to do it over and over and over again. I think we took it pretty seriously and didn’t waste any time putting the hammer down on this guy.”
The State Attorney’s Office will review the entire case to determine if additional charges will be filed.
Moore co-owns Woodwind Contracting Inc. with a family member. Attempts to reach officials at the business were unsuccessful.
On March 25, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a suspicious item found at the Beach rental home. Deputies responded and completed a report. Due to the nature of the incident, detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Special Victim’s Unit were assigned to investigate.
According to police records, a renter of the vacation house told deputies an alarm clock-radio was discovered with a pin-hole camera. An SD card was also found inside the altered clock-radio. The renters related that Moore was the caretaker for the residence and they found it suspicious he would show up daily, often unannounced and while they were not present. He also reportedly asked where each occupant slept; locked himself in an upstairs bedroom at one point; and had been seen moving the alarm clock-radio in question.
A search warrant was obtained and several similar video recording devices were found in the rental residence, officials said. Additionally, a delivery came to the rental address in Moore’s name which contained new recording devices. As detectives investigated further, numerous SD cards were found in the suspect’s vehicle and his home at 5837 Riverside Lane.
Investigators said more than 4,000 video clips were recovered from the cards with recordings of juveniles and adults. The content of the videos included the victims changing clothes, having sexual relations, showering, sleeping and more.
The video evidence recovered spanned slightly over a month, Feb. 22 to the date of the discovery on March 25. A total of 38 potential victims have been identified and contacted. All victims reside out-of-state.
The house is owned by David Zagar of Fort Myers, who has not been implicated in the incident.
Attorney Chris Brown of Brown, Suarez & Rios represents Zagar.
“My client and his wife are relieved that the arrest has been made,” Brown said. “The public is now aware that they had nothing to do with the crime, and that the house is absolutely safe. It has been swept twice with the cooperation of law enforcement. They are really thankful for the tenants that have agreed to honor the contracts and come stay on the property. It’s a beautiful house.”