GRAPEVINE (TX)
WFAA-TV, ABC-8 [Dallas TX]
December 6, 2024
By Paul Wedding
Investigation into the 38-year-old man began when a missionary couple reported finding spy cameras inside their mobile home, police say.
An associate minister in Grapevine has been arrested by police, who are accusing him of possessing child pornography and using spy cameras in a home, officials said.
Arturo Alarcon, the 38-year-old associate minister at 121 Community Church in Grapevine, was charged with possession of child pornography and invasive visual recording, according to police.
Investigation began, police say, when a missionary couple reported finding spy cameras inside their mobile home, which is used by the church to house families in need.
According to the arrest affidavit, the family staying there found two alarm clocks and two wall plugs labeled “Bug Control” containing hidden cameras inside the devices. Another associate minister with the church, Elvis Gallegos, reportedly told police these items weren’t provided by the church and he wasn’t sure who put them there or how long they had been there.
The husband staying inside the home kept hearing a noise coming from the clock in his bedroom so he turned it off, the affidavit states. Being an engineer, he took a closer look at the clock and noticed what appeared to be a camera inside. He was able to search Amazon and find the same clock which showed to be a spy camera.
When asked who had access to the home, according to the affidavit, the wife staying there told police only Alarcon, pest control, and possibly one other minister had the code to get inside.
After examining the camera, the affidavit said the husband noticed when he pressed the record button a clicking sound was made. He said that’s when he knew he was being recorded.
Police contacted Alarcon, the affidavit detailed, who told police he knew of the items in the trailer but that they were donated and not bought by him.
According to the affidavit, police searched Alarcon’s phone and found a photo from a spy camera placed in an underaged relative of Alarcon’s bedroom. While searching the phone, they also reportedly found a photo of a young girl around the age of 5 standing in front of an erect penis.
The affidavit details that a detective is sending the phone to the Secret Service to unlock a second user account on Alarcon’s phone that is encrypted. When asked by police, Alarcon reportedly told them he didn’t know about it because he didn’t set it up and wasn’t sure who did.
When shown the photo of child pornography, the affidavit stated, Alarcon said he had never seen it.
In addition to his work as an associate minister, police say Alarcon volunteered with the Grapevine Community Outreach Center, as well as its after-school program, and was also a substitute teacher with Grapevine-Colleyville ISD.
Grapevine ISD sent out the following statement to families and staff:
“Unfortunately, we must share with you the following information from the Grapevine Police Department. Arturo Alarcon has previously substituted at Timberline Elementary, and his status as a substitute teacher was immediately terminated upon the district’s notification of this arrest.
The district remains in close contact with the Grapevine Police Department and will provide more information to our community if any evidence reveals any additional connection to the school district.”
Police say they are analyzing several electronics in Alarcon’s possession and that there is no evidence of any additional crimes at this time.
WFAA has reached out to 121 Community Church for comment and they responded in a Friday statement.
It is with great sadness that we must inform you that Arturo Alarcon was arrested on charges of possessing child pornography and invasive visual recording. Mr. Alarcon previously served as a staff minister, and we terminated his employment with the church.
After we received a report concerning a suspicious device, we immediately made a report to the Grapevine Police Department. During the resulting investigation, we were made aware that Mr. Alarcon was a person of interest. Upon this notice, we placed Mr. Alarcon on administrative leave pending the investigation. As reported by the Grapevine Police Department, the investigating detectives found a downloaded child pornography photo on his personal device, which was unrelated to our initial report.
The Grapevine Police Department subsequently arrested and charged Mr. Alarcon, and we terminated his employment. The Grapevine Police Department has stated that the investigation is ongoing and there is no evidence of additional crimes. We have been in contact with the Grapevine Police Department and continue to cooperate with the investigation.
We currently have no indication from law enforcement or any other source that local children were involved with the alleged conduct.