Huntington Beach man charged with planting hidden camera in bathrooms at Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall and coffee house

A Huntington Beach man who is a former Rancho Palos Verdes building inspector was arrested Tuesday and charged with 89 counts of voyeurism on allegations that he placed a hidden camera inside a bathroom at Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall and a bathroom at a coffee house.

A city employee discovered the hidden miniature camera in a unisex employee-only restroom at City Hall on July 5, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Detectives from the department’s Lomita station determined that Andrew Jensen, 49, hid the camera in that restroom as well as in a bathroom at a nearby coffee house, authorities said.

Detectives obtained video footage from Jensen’s camera and identified 89 victims, said sheriff’s Deputy Michael Sampson. It is unclear what Jensen was doing with the footage, Sampson said.

Jensen is being held on $450,000 bail, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Jensen has not been at City Hall since Aug. 2 and has resigned, said Gabriella Yap, Rancho Palos Verdes’ deputy city manager.

“The city is gravely concerned and disturbed by this betrayal of trust and violation of privacy against our employees and the community,” Yap said in a statement. “However, we are confident that justice will be served in the criminal courts.”

The Sheriff’s Department asked that anyone with additional information about the case call Det. Terence Peterson at (310) 891-3211 or L.A. Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).

Panzar writes for the Los Angeles Times.