Restaurant employee arrested for peeping into womens’ restroom

One former local restaurant employee is in custody, and another is still on the run in what investigators are calling a case of peeping toms.
Islas Blanco Rodolfo, 33, of Corbin was arrested last Thursday and charged with one count of voyeurism, a misdemeanor offense. Police say Rodolfo and another employee of El Dorado’s Grill and Bar in Corbin, identified as Gustavo Castillo, used small holes made in the ceiling of the women’s restroom in the restaurant to watch patrons use the toilets while “pleasuring themselves.”
“It’s an extremely odd case,” Corbin Police Capt. Tim Helton said. He is the lead investigator in the case. “There was evidence gained to show that it wasn’t an isolated event. Things I saw in the attic make it appear the holes had been used on several different occasions.”
Helton obtained a search warrant for El Dorado’s Thursday afternoon after a female customer noticed the holes, and later complained to a Kentucky State Police trooper. The woman, who has remained unidentified, claims some male employees were near the restroom door laughing when she exited.
Helton said he visited El Dorado’s before obtaining the search warrant and noticed the holes in the restroom ceiling. Later in the afternoon, he revisited the facility and videotaped portions of the building, including the attic area where the men allegedly were looking down onto unsuspecting female patrons. He said he found no holes that would allow inappropriate peering into the men’s restroom.
Both Rodolfo and Castillo stayed frequently in a small room attached to the restaurant. The room had full access to the attic area.
Helton said restaurant owner Esteban Campos was interviewed about the incident and claimed to have no knowledge of the activities. Rodolfo could not be interviewed by police because of his inability to speak English.
El Dorado’s manager Orlando Delguy said he was unaware of the two men’s alleged activities and learned only later, from television reports, that police had been to the restaurant.
“I was at home on my day off,” he said. “I was shocked. I told my wife, I said ‘Oh my God, this is terrible! I want to say to everybody that I am sorry about this. It’s not what we are for.”
Delguy said Castillo and Rodolfo were both “hard working” employees, but have been fired in the wake of the incident. One worked as a dishwasher and the other was a waiter.
Helton said Rodolfo could only provide a Mexican identification to police. He added the restaurant did not have any further information in the men’s employment records. He said he didn’t think either of the men are U.S. citizens and said he plans to notify Immigration and Naturalization Services officials about the investigation. It is illegal for employers to knowingly hire foreign workers who do not possess a special work permit.
Delguy said both men provided “green cards” before they were hired.
The restaurant was the first in the city of Corbin to obtain a license to sell alcoholic beverages by the drink after local voters approved a ballot initiative on the issue in 2003. Carson Mullins, the city’s chief of police who also serves in a dual role as Alcoholic Beverage Control Administrator, said he would be talking to owners about the voyeurism charges to determine if it could affect that status of their local liquor license. Restaurants that obtain a license have numerous requirements to keep it, which include maintaining a safe and orderly facility.
“I could affect [their license} if the owner was aware of it.” Mullins said. “Having a disorderly establishment could be construed as being in violation. It’s something I need to look into and I intend to talk with him about it. In general, nothing really surprises me anymore.”
Rodolfo is currently being held in the Whitley County Detention Center on a $10,000 cash bond. Helton said police are looking for Castillo, but have no idea where he is and only know that he is in his mid-20s.”
El Dorado’s remained open to customers last week throughout the entire investigation.