Man accused of illegal recording in bathroom at Naples Pride festival defends actions

NAPLES, Fla. —

Naples police arrested Andrew Sheets, 61, on Saturday after he was accused of recording people illegally in a bathroom at the Naples Pride festival held at Cambier Park on April 18.

Sheets told Gulf Coast News in an interview that the video he posted online led to his arrest.

He claimed he was documenting "grooming" at the event. The footage appears to show Sheets filming himself in a public restroom and then capturing a mirror reflection of other men using the restroom.

"And, so I, at a public park in a public restroom," Sheets said. "Yes, I did go in. Public bathroom. Nobody was in there. I went to the stall to pee."

"My intent was not to get [expletive] pics, like they're trying to say," Sheets said.

"If it was illegal, why didn't the cops have it taken down? If it was illegal, why [isn't] YouTube taking it down?" Sheets said.

Naples Pride addressed the incident in a Facebook post, stating, "The irony is difficult to ignore. A man who publicly accused our community of 'grooming' now stands accused of unlawfully recording people in a place where privacy is expected."

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