Fort Worth firefighter accused of planting camera in ex-girlfriend's bathroom

A Fort Worth firefighter is accused of planting a camera disguised as a smoke detector in his ex-girlfriend's bathroom after illegally entering her home, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Edgar Benito Aguilar, 31, of Arlington put the device on the wall facing the shower and it could have been there for several months without the ex-girlfriend knowing, the affidavit says. She said she believes Aguilar wanted to video or view her naked.

The woman told police that she believes that Aguilar had been watching her and said he had harassed her for years. She said he could have gotten a key to her residence through their son but she wasn't sure.

Police removed the device from the woman's residence on March 24 and later interviewed Aguilar at the Arlington Police Department Main Station, the affidavit says.

Aguilar, who has been with the Fort Worth Fire Department since September 2014, admitted he installed the camera in the bathroom, the affidavit says, although he said he didn't know why. He said he entered the residence through an unlocked door one day while his ex-girlfriend was at work.

Police said they were unable to download any video from the camera because there was no memory card or data in it to be downloaded, nor was there any video on any application in Aguilar's cellphone, the affidavit says.

Police said Aguilar's "actions and admissions showed he intended to commit the offense of invasive visual recording (a felony) and may have committed the offense at some point."

Aguilar, who has no criminal history, is being charged with burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a felony, according to the affidavit. He is currently out of jail on a $15,000 bond.

He is scheduled to make an initial court appearance at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Criminal District Court 297 in Fort Worth.

Aguilar is still on duty but has been taken out of operations and is working in a job in which he has no interaction with the public while an internal investigation is conducted, a Fire Department spokesman said Tuesday.

This story was originally published May 29, 2018 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Fort Worth firefighter accused of planting camera in ex-girlfriend's bathroom."