What happened: A man was taken into custody after allegedly using his cell phone to secretly take photos under a woman's dress at a Royal Palm Beach Publix.
Background: Court records show 44-year-old Franco Ilus is facing felony charges of digital voyeurism by an adult and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. Deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office say they responded to the Publix on Southern Boulevard on the evening of Wednesday following reports of the incident.
Investigators stated that Ilus entered the store and covertly photographed women. Surveillance footage captured him photographing one shopper's buttocks while she looked at food with her two chldren.
Pretending to be on his phone, he crouched down and placed his device under her dress. Although the VIC initially thought he had dropped his phone, she realized what was happening when he repeated the action.
The VIC confronted Ilus verbally, drawing the attention of other customers, and Ilus fled to his vehicle—a 2001 tan Lincoln Town Car with a broken passenger-side headlight The VIC reported the crime to Publix management and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, providing a sworn statement and a desire to prosecute. She later positively identified Ilus in a photo lineup.
The available details are limited to the information verified at publication time. Readers should expect updates as the matter develops.
Any person identified in connection with an alleged offense is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Source: official sources including CBS12 News.
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