A onetime dance school employee was arrested Friday afternoon by Hermosa Beach Police, who allege the 25-year-old placed hidden cameras at the studio frequented by students ranging from 2 to 18 years of age.
Jourdyn Godoy of Torrance was charged by the L.A. County district attorney’s office with felony possession of child pornography, annoying/molesting a child and criminal invasion of privacy, according to police.
Godoy is currently being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
“We want to thank the business owners for their immediate assistance and transparency in this case,” the department noted in a news release. “The Hermosa Beach Police Department remains committed in its mission to serve with dedication, integrity, and honesty.”
A legal representative for Godoy was not located.
“We are deeply grateful to local law enforcement for their tireless work over the past six weeks,” wrote Hermosa Beach’s School of Dance and Music owners, Liliana Somma and Dan Galitzen, in an email to students and parents.
“While we are limited in what we can share due to the ongoing legal process, we can confirm that the individual was a former front desk staff member, a young adult in his 20s with no prior criminal history, who is no longer employed at our studio.”
A parent discovered the hidden cameras May 3 at the school’s Aviation Boulevard location. That parent turned off the recording devices and called the police.
Hermosa Beach police officers investigated the studio that day and discovered multiple cameras hidden inside wicker baskets in a restroom.
That unisex bathroom was used by parents, students and employees.
Hermosa Beach detectives worked with the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a nationwide network of federal, state and local enforcement, to make the arrest.
Somma and Galitzen said in the letter to parents that they identified Godoy as a potential suspect within the first 24 hours.
Somma told ABC7 that she had been in business for 25 years and trained thousands of students. She also acknowledged that the news had led some customers to leave the business.
Since the discovery, the school has installed security cameras and devices to detect hidden cameras, hired a security company to inspect both studios, changed the locks, hired security in the evening and designated student-only bathrooms, among the changes, according to the letter to the parents.
“We are dedicated to ensuring that every SDM location remains a safe and sacred space for our community,” the owners wrote.
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