TAVARES, Fla. – A man hosting foreign exchange students now faces video voyeurism and child pornography charges after one of the teens discovered a secret camera recording him in the bathroom.
Tavares police arrested Lloyd Lindquist, 78, Monday after a teen from Germany brought them evidence that he had been secretly recorded in a bathroom of his host's home off Marsh Harbor Drive.
"My sister is friends with the foreign exchange student that lived here. We saw a whole bunch of detectives, so obviously she asked him what was going on. About a week later he finally told her about everything that was going on in the house," said Stephanie Dollins, who said the teen lived on the opposite side of the house from Lindquist and had his own bathroom.
The teen found a new clock in his bathroom not long after catching Lindquist researching spy cameras on his computer, said a police arrest affidavit.
"He turned it around and he saw that it was a camera. He called his parents. His parents told him to go to the cops," said Dollins.
Police said Lindquist hosted students through Forte International Exchange Association and CCI Greenheart. A Forte representative emailed Local 6 saying Lindquist only hosted one student through their organization. An email to Greenheart has not been returned. Both exchange groups are cooperating with police.
Police recovered video files dating back to 2009 from Lindquist's computer.
Dollins said the foreign student was a junior at Tavares High School.
The investigation started in May and that student immediately went home after turning evidence over to police.
"I would feel heartbroken for my own child, somebody invading their personal space," said Dollins. "I honestly don't know what I would do to somebody like that doing it to my own children."
Lindquist was also employed as a part-time math tutor at Lake Sumter State College. Officials with the school said Linquist was relieved of duties and will not be allowed to work at the school until the charges brought against him have been resolved.
Lindquist faces nine counts of video voyeurism and two counts of child pornography.
An arraignment for the case will be held in early September.