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<p>WRIGHT TWP. &#8212; An alleged peeping Tom turned himself in to police after deciding that his plan to change his appearance by shaving and cutting his hair wouldn&#8217;t work, according to authorities.</p><p>Juan Bermudes Prieto, 42, surrendered at the Wright Township police department Wednesday, according to Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis.</p><p>&#8220;He thought by changing his image, he wouldn&#8217;t be noticeable,&#8221; county Detective Chaz Balogh said.</p><p>However, Prieto decided his plan wouldn&#8217;t work after seeing photos of himself in local media accounts, according to Wright Township Patrolman David Winsock.</p><p>Prieto, an employee of Luigi&#8217;s Pizzeria on South Mountain Boulevard, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/636854/police-hazleton-man-found-spying-on-women-children-in-ceiling-of-bathroom" target="_blank">was caught over the weekend in the ceiling over the restaurant&#8217;s women&#8217;s restroom, according to a criminal complaint.</a></p><p>Police say he fled from Luigi&#8217;s after being spotted in the ceiling.</p><p>Winsock said police believe Prieto began taking photos in the ceiling of the pizzeria in mid-January and continued until Saturday when a woman noticed him. During his escape, Prieto dropped his Nokia cellphone which was logged as evidence, authorities say. Videos of female children under the age of 13 and female adults were allegedly found on the phone.</p><p>Winsock said police were searching for Prieto when they received a call that he was in the building.</p><p>&#8220;It was kind of unbelievable,&#8221; Winsock said. &#8220;Very surprising to all of us.&#8221;</p><p>Balogh couldn&#8217;t confirm if Prieto, of Emerald Court, Hazleton, went home while police were looking for him. But he did note &#8220;since Saturday he&#8217;s been more or less on the run, looking for places to stay.&#8221;</p><p>Prieto, who speaks Spanish, required a translator during his arraignment in front of District Judge Joseph Spanguolo in Plains Township.</p><p>During his arraignment, Prieto said he was never arrested and expressed remorse.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve never had any problems,&#8221; he said through the translator. &#8220;I&#8217;m not a troublesome person.&#8221;</p><p>Prieto was sent to Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $200,000 straight bail. Should Prieto post bail, he is to turn in all communication devices, including laptops, phones and cameras.</p><p>Wright Township Police Chief Royce Engler said the township had help from county detectives, Freeland police and Hazleton police.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m very satisfied (with the outcome),&#8221; Engler said.</p><p>Prieto is charged with three felony counts each of possession of child pornography and illegally photographing children plus 16 misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy.</p><p>His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 1 in front of District Judge Ronald Swank.</p><p><ins>For other local crime stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/crime" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Juan Bermudes Prieto, in the blue jacket, is led out of the Wright Township police station Wednesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_pretoarriangment1-5.jpg</photo1><caption1>Juan Bermudes Prieto, in the blue jacket, is led out of the Wright Township police station Wednesday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Melanie Mizenko | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_arraignment-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Detective Chaz Balogh leads Juan Bermudes Prieto, right, out of the Wright Township Police Headqarters. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_arraignment-5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Luzerne County Detective Chaz Balogh leads Juan Bermudes Prieto, right, out of the Wright Township Police Headqarters. </caption2><photoCredit2>Melanie Mizenko | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Hazleton man accused of spying on women&#8217;s room</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table style="border:none;width:98%;" class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;"> 7Uqy-fkvPiM</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;"> YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> &lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Uqy-fkvPiM&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;">Wright Township Patrolman David Winsock said the investigation led police to believe Prieto began taking photos in the ceiling of the pizzeria in mid-January and continued until Saturday when a woman noticed him. During his escape, police said, Prieto dropped his Nokia cellphone which was logged into evidence. Videos of female children under the age of 13 and female adults were allegedly found on the phone.</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;"> Melanie Mizenko</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

DA: Man accused of being a peeping Tom turns himself in