A Florida man who attended a Pride festival claiming he wanted to expose “grooming” allegations is now facing criminal charges after authorities say he secretly recorded men inside a public restroom and uploaded the footage online.
According to investigators, 61-year-old Andrew Sheets was arrested on charges of video voyeurism and dissemination of voyeuristic material following the April 18 Naples Pridefest in Florida. Police say Sheets used Meta smart glasses to secretly record men using urinals inside the event restroom before later posting the footage to YouTube.
The video reportedly showed Sheets walking through the Pride event questioning attendees and vendors about LGBTQ+ issues and road closures near the festival. Authorities allege the footage also included multiple unsuspecting men inside the bathroom, including two undercover police officers who later told investigators they felt “shocked” and “embarrassed” after discovering they had been filmed and posted online.
Sheets denied that he intended to capture explicit footage, telling local media that he entered the restroom simply to use it himself. He also questioned why the content had remained online if it was illegal. Investigators, however, determined the recordings violated Florida’s video voyeurism laws because the men were filmed in a location where privacy is reasonably expected.
Naples Pride organizers released a statement sharply criticizing the incident and pointing to what they described as hypocrisy in the case. The organization said a man who publicly accused LGBTQ+ people of “grooming” was ultimately arrested for allegedly violating the privacy of others himself. Organizers also thanked local law enforcement for responding to the situation and protecting attendees at the event.
The arrest has reignited online debates around anti-LGBTQ+ activism, surveillance, and public restroom privacy. Critics on social media argued the case reflects a broader pattern in which LGBTQ+ spaces are heavily scrutinized while some self-proclaimed “watchdogs” end up accused of inappropriate behavior themselves.
