Santa Barbara police on Monday arrested 48-year-old Jason Hanrahan for allegedly installing a hidden camera in the restroom of McConnell’s Ice Cream on State Street. The camera was disguised as an electrical outlet and affixed to the wall with adhesive.

Jason Hanrahan

Five days earlier, on March 9, a McConnell’s employee watched Hanrahan enter the store, walk directly to the unisex restroom, and then leave without making a purchase, said police spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood. Thinking this was somewhat suspicious, the employee inspected the bathroom and noticed an electrical outlet she hadn’t seen before. She initially assumed, however, that it had been installed during a recent renovation. About an hour later, Hanrahan again entered McConnell’s and quickly walked in and out of the bathroom. When the employee checked inside once more, she saw the new outlet was gone. She alerted her manager and was instructed to call police if Hanrahan returned.

The hidden camera (left) and its electrical outlet-style casing.

On Monday, the same employee observed Hanrahan yet again enter the restroom then leave without making a purchase. The outlet had reappeared. The worker called police, who stopped Hanrahan outside and found him in possession of tools, adhesive, and an electrical outlet-style camera housing similar to the one recovered inside McConnell’s. Hanrahan was arrested; computer hardware and memory devices were recovered from his car and home. Police are now analyzing the evidence to determine if any other crimes were committed and if possible victims can be identified.

Hanrahan was booked in County Jail with a bail amount of $2,500.

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