Santa Rosa restaurant manager arrested after recording woman in bathroom, police say

The manager of Ohana Hawaiian BBQ in Santa Rosa was arrested Monday after secretly recording a woman from the vent of a bathroom in the restaurant, the Santa Rosa Police Department reported Tuesday.

The manager of Ohana Hawaiian BBQ in Santa Rosa was arrested Monday after secretly recording a woman with a smartphone that had been placed in the vent of a bathroom in the restaurant, Santa Rosa police said Tuesday.

Daniel Nam, 37, of Santa Rosa, was booked into the Sonoma County jail on suspicion of violating California’s “Peeping Tom” law.

Authorities said he could face other charges if additional evidence is found on Nam’s devices.

A Sonoma County Superior Court judge approved a bail enhancement that set his bail at $200,000, officials said.

The woman, a patron of the restaurant, told police she made it a habit to check vents in public restrooms after seeing social media videos about hidden recording devices in public restrooms, according to a police department news release.

This device is unable to display framed content. Click here to view this embed.

After examining the vent, the woman saw a phone with the camera lens facing the interior of the bathroom so she called the police, notified the manager and guarded the bathroom until police officers arrived on scene, officials said.

Detectives soon arrived and found that the phone was still recording and had been doing so for more than 45 minutes.

Investigators determined the phone belonged to Nam, the restaurant manager. Following a preliminary investigation, they believe Nam used a concealed recording device to invade the privacy of at least one victim.

Besides the phone, investigators also seized Nam’s laptop and are reviewing photos and videos from both devices to see if there are other suspicious recordings, officials said.

Investigators believe Nam could have been secretly recording patrons for several months, according to the news release.

The department is encouraging anyone who believes they may have been victimized to call the Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Team tipline at 707-543-3595.

Contact Staff Writer Anna Armstrong at 707-521-5255 or anna.armstrong@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @annavarmstrongg.