Lake Villa Man Charged After Woman Says He Recorded Her Inside Gurnee Mills Changing Room

GURNEE, Ill. — A 23-year-old Lake Villa man has been charged after a woman told police she caught him recording her while she was inside a changing room at Gurnee Mills.

Nestor A. Gonzalez, 23, has been charged with unauthorized videotaping, a Class 4 felony.

Gurnee police responded around 12:30 p.m. on August 30 to Gurnee Mills, 6170 Grand Avenue, following a report of a suspicious incident at H&M.

Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said the woman told officers she was inside a changing room when she noticed Gonzalez recording her.

The woman confronted Gonzalez, who showed her the image on his phone. She then took possession of the phone while calling 911 and held onto it until officers arrived.

Prosecutors said Gonzalez admitted to officers that he had taken photos or videos while the woman was inside the changing room. Officers also viewed the images on his phone.

According to the criminal complaint, Gonzalez recorded victims while they were in a state of undress without their consent. Prosecutors did not confirm whether investigators ultimately identified more than one victim.

Gonzalez was arrested and taken to First Appearance Court the following day.

A public safety assessment recommended Level 1 pretrial monitoring, the lowest level of supervision. Prosecutors requested Level 2 monitoring because of the nature of the charge.

A public defender objected to the increased monitoring and noted that Gonzalez had no prior criminal history.

Lake County Judge Randie Bruno granted the request for Level 2 monitoring and said it was concerning that the incident occurred at a place of employment. It was not immediately clear whether Gonzalez or the woman worked at H&M.

Gonzalez was also ordered to have no contact with the woman and is prohibited from entering Gurnee Mills.

He is scheduled to return to court September 29 for a status of attorney hearing.